Nearly 3,000 Iraqi civilians killed in August?

[ProSense]

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Overall, civilian casualties in Iraq appear to have remained steady throughout the siege, though numbers are difficult to come by.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, 984 people were killed across Iraq in February, and 1,011 died in violence in August. No July numbers were released because the ministry said the numbers weren't clear.

But an official in the ministry who spoke anonymously because he wasn't authorized to release numbers said those numbers were heavily manipulated.

The official said 1,980 Iraqis had been killed in July and that violent deaths soared in August, to 2,890.

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This is a lot closer to the number cited by Iraq Body Count: AUGUST CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL: 2,575


The numbers being widely reported are 1,809 in August and 1,760 in July.

[antiimperialist]

1. Recommended. Probably the most important thread of the day

Here we have the prestigious and reliable McClatchy newspapers quoting an officials saying we are being lied about the number of Iraqi civilians killed there.
Very important. David Petraeus will likely use these distorted numberes in order to make a case for our prescence in Iraq.
Spread the word.

[ProSense]

2. Kick! n/t