Twenty-five Iraqi civilians died a day in 2008 - And that was a "good" year

[NNN0LHI]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUKTRE4BQ1H320081227

Civilian deaths in Iraq 98,000 since 2003: study

Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:16pm GMT

By Missy Ryan

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sectarian bloodshed has dropped sharply in Iraq from the high levels of 2006-07, but attacks against U.S. and government forces continue, claiming the lives of Iraqi civilians in step, a new study found on Saturday.

Between at least 8,300 and 9,000 civilians were killed in Iraq in 2008, bringing the total of civilian deaths since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to at least 98,400, human rights group Iraq Body Count said in a new report.

Twenty-five civilians died a day in 2008, the study found. While far below 2006-2007, when at least 48,000 civilians were killed, it is comparable to violence during 2003-2004.

"The first thing is that there has been a very, very significant decrease in violent deaths in the last year, and this decrease has been most prevalent in Baghdad," said John Sloboda, the group's co-founder and spokesman.

[chelsea0011]

1. But the surge worked. Isn't that what I keep hearing? Meet Dick Gregory

was saying as much just today while interviewing Reid, by reading Reid's own past words. What great reporting. You do know that as the troops withdraw and Iraq slides into anarchy, it will all be blamed on the Dems. Don't you?

[Bandit]

2. In America well over a thousand die ever day from tobacco related causes.

I wish we only had twenty five people a day die here..

[NNN0LHI]

3. US population is about 12 times larger than Iraq's so that would be 300 a day here

Do you wish 300 Americans were dying here every day due to foreign occupation?

Don