US and the World

We kill more than the terrorist, but. . .

More Iraqi Civilians Killed by US Forces Than By Insurgents, Data Shows

This story from Knight Ridder is the sort of thing that somehow continues to get ignored. We don't behead innocent people - thank God for small favors - well, not on purpose. Maybe a child or two gets decapitated by our bombs, but that's accidental. It's all in the line of duty as we try to kill terrorists.

But look at the results as compiled by the Iraqi government - you know, those folks supposedly running the country these days. Here's the heart of the matter:

According to the ministry, the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487 Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 - when the ministry began compiling the data - until Sept. 19. Of those, 328 were women and children. Another 13,720 Iraqis were injured, the ministry said.

While most of the dead are believed to be civilians, the data include an unknown number of police and Iraqi national guardsmen. Many Iraqi deaths, especially of insurgents, are never reported, so the actual number of Iraqis killed in fighting could be significantly higher.

During the same period, 432 American soldiers were killed.

Iraqi officials said the statistics proved that U.S. airstrikes intended for insurgents also were killing large numbers of innocent civilians. Some say these casualties are undermining popular acceptance of the American-backed interim government.

Sounds to me like a great way to win friends and influence people - for the terrorists cause. So where the hell are the rest of the US media? Perhaps President Bush or his sock puppet, Allawi ( Saddam Lite) could tell us again how wonderful things are in Iraq.