Iraqi Official: 150,000 Civilians Dead...

[bridgit]

'BAGHDAD, Iraq

A stunning new death count emerged Thursday, as Iraq's health minister estimated at least 150,000 civilians have been killed in the war _ about three times previously accepted estimates.

Moderate Sunni Muslims, meanwhile, threatened to walk away from politics and pick up guns, while the Shiite-dominated government renewed pressure on the United States to unleash the Iraqi army and claimed it could crush violence in six months.

After Democrats swept to majorities in both houses of the U.S. Congress and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld resigned, Iraqis appeared unsettled and seemed to sense the potential for an even bloodier conflict because future American policy is uncertain. As a result, positions hardened on both sides of the country's deepening sectarian divide.' http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/09/D8L9PBBG0.html

[OneBlueSky]

1. The Lancet study said it was more like 665,000 . . .

tough to know what to believe, other than a LOT of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed because of the U.S. invasion and occupation of their nation . . .

[Selatius]

2. The Health Ministry likely has names to most of those 150,000 dead

There's a body count, and there's an estimate. The Lancet study is an estimate of the total number of deaths, while I would think the Health Ministry is releasing body count figures of those they know who died.

[bridgit]

3. i think that's right, Lancet used a methodology that while i do understand...

The Iraqi Health Ministry has hard numbers; either way the sad drum beat goes on