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Our View: Citizens deserve to know the truth
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Opinion
The cost of a war can take several shapes. It can be quantified in terms of money lost to the war effort, an extension of a tour of duty or a loss of confidence in the government.
But really, there's only one cost that counts.
To date, the Associated Press estimates that 110,600 Iraqi citizens and 4,275 U.S. soldiers have been killed as result of U.S.-Iraq war since 2003.
This estimate comes from newly uncovered statistics obtained by the Associated Press from an anonymous source within the Iraqi Health Ministry.
Prior to 2007, the IHM regularly released its compiled death statistics to the United Nations so it could release casualty rates to the public, but in that year the numbers stopped being reported. This move came at a time of high sectarian violence in Iraq, which put both the U.S. and Iraqi government under increasing international scrutiny, according to the AP.
This, however, was no reason to keep these deaths off the public record.
American citizens have the right to know the concrete effects of a war being fought in their name. The only instance in which a government should ever conceal information is if it puts American lives in jeopardy.
Clearly this has not been the case when it comes to casualty statistics for the Iraq War.
We applaud the AP for their hard work to uncover these numbers. The world has been kept in the dark long enough; hopefully this revelation will incite more honesty on the part of the U.S. government.
But really, there's only one cost that counts.
To date, the Associated Press estimates that 110,600 Iraqi citizens and 4,275 U.S. soldiers have been killed as result of U.S.-Iraq war since 2003.
This estimate comes from newly uncovered statistics obtained by the Associated Press from an anonymous source within the Iraqi Health Ministry.
Prior to 2007, the IHM regularly released its compiled death statistics to the United Nations so it could release casualty rates to the public, but in that year the numbers stopped being reported. This move came at a time of high sectarian violence in Iraq, which put both the U.S. and Iraqi government under increasing international scrutiny, according to the AP.
This, however, was no reason to keep these deaths off the public record.
American citizens have the right to know the concrete effects of a war being fought in their name. The only instance in which a government should ever conceal information is if it puts American lives in jeopardy.
Clearly this has not been the case when it comes to casualty statistics for the Iraq War.
We applaud the AP for their hard work to uncover these numbers. The world has been kept in the dark long enough; hopefully this revelation will incite more honesty on the part of the U.S. government.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 9
Registered Independent
posted 4/24/09 @ 12:10 PM MST
You're not actually making any point here.
Since we already know that it is Al Quaeda who sets up the roadside bombs and homicide bombs to kill large numbers of American personnel, but mostly Iraqi citizens, and generally wreak havoc in Iraq. (Continued…)
Registered Independent
posted 4/27/09 @ 1:17 PM MST
Response to Chunk,
And I quote from the above article:
"AP estimates that 110,600 Iraqi citizens and 4,275 U.S. soldiers have been killed as a result of U. (Continued…)
Chunk
posted 4/29/09 @ 6:38 AM MST
The point was never about US military statistics, it was about Iraqi civilian statistics. You may want to believe that the Iraqis are not good at keeping the numbers, but those numbers were simply kept secret. (Continued…)
Allison Kent
posted 4/29/09 @ 7:20 AM MST
Maybe it's the people who wrote the original article that decided to vacate the premises.
Chunk
posted 4/29/09 @ 12:28 PM MST
Have you read the unfrotunate news out of Iraq today Reg Indy? Just unlucky timing on your post.
Fact Checker
posted 4/29/09 @ 4:16 PM MST
The Iraqi's claim a much higher number, approaching, at this time, 1 Million civilians dead....hmmm...sounds like genocide to me.
Registered Independent
posted 4/30/09 @ 7:15 AM MST
Oh I see. Now that it has been pointed out that our government has obviously not been trying to hide anything, suddenly the American military casualties mentioned in the article weren't "the issue". (Continued…)
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