Tens of thousands of people have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion of March 2003. But exactly how many Iraqi lives have been lost is a controversial topic. More than 4,000 coalition soldiers have died, but US forces do not keep complete records of civilians killed.
Nor does the Iraqi government have a precise figure. Health ministry estimates in November 2006 ranged from 100,000 to 150,000 dead. This contrasts with a survey of Iraqi households in the Lancet, which suggested that - by July 2006 - about 655,000 Iraqi deaths were "a consequence of the war". A survey published in September 2007 suggested that up to 1.2m people might have died because of the conflict. UK-based polling agency Opinion Research Business extrapolated the figure by asking a random sample of 1,461 Iraqi adults.
These estimates are higher than that of the campaign group, Iraq Body Count. Using two media reports as its source for each death, IBC says the civilian death toll by October 2007 was between 74,000 and 81,000. But they also warn that many deaths may not have been reported.
Nor does the Iraqi government have a precise figure. Health ministry estimates in November 2006 ranged from 100,000 to 150,000 dead. This contrasts with a survey of Iraqi households in the Lancet, which suggested that - by July 2006 - about 655,000 Iraqi deaths were "a consequence of the war". A survey published in September 2007 suggested that up to 1.2m people might have died because of the conflict. UK-based polling agency Opinion Research Business extrapolated the figure by asking a random sample of 1,461 Iraqi adults.
These estimates are higher than that of the campaign group, Iraq Body Count. Using two media reports as its source for each death, IBC says the civilian death toll by October 2007 was between 74,000 and 81,000. But they also warn that many deaths may not have been reported.
Thomas L. Blair is a sociologist and political blogger on the Chronicleworld 'for creative renewal in Black Britain and Afro-Europe'. His work is honoured in the British Library's archive of "social, historic and culturally significant web-based material from the UK domain". He won top prize in the blogging competition on The-Latest.
Sumantra Maitra is a freelance journalist from Mumbai, India. He is a correspondent for All Sports magazine, and a foreign affairs blogger for the Washington Examiner. He has written articles for news website Merinews.com and other regional publications. Sumantra runs a blog at DailyWorldWatch.wordpress.com. He provided exclusive eyewitness reports for The-Latest on the Mumbai bombings of 2008.
Brian Usher is photography consultant for The-Latest.Com. He is a highly experienced editorial and commercial photographer whose work has been published throughout the world, appearing in many well known magazines and newspapers. Brian has featured in several books and has been a writer for the Royal Photographic Society magazine.
Heidi Kingstone has spent time in Afghanistan reporting for a number of publications. Her work has appeared in the Financial Times, The Spectator, The Sunday Times and other international journals. She has also reported from places like Iraq, Rwanda, Lebanon, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. Heidi is The-Latest's Editor at large.
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