Opinion

Let the counters count

By Tony Laszlo

Last April, the U.S. government set aside 2.4 billion dollars for use on relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. An undetermined amount of that money is to be spent on "assistance for families of innocent Iraqi civilians who suffer losses as a result of military operations." Naturally, those parties who will utilize these and other funds need to know as much as possible about the damage the country sustained as a whole, in order to provide effective and appropriate relief. First and foremost, they will need to know the number of casualties and the specific needs of the affected families.

This task is more daunting than it may sound. General Tommy Franks is quoted as saying, "We don't do body counts." He remained true to his word while leading the American forces in Iraq, as did his colleagues, for the most part.

There was the odd exception. On April 25, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that about 1,500 cluster bombs had been dropped so far, and stressed that there had only been "one recorded case of collateral damage from cluster munitions noted so far." Cluster bombs spew large numbers of bomblets over a wide area, some of which explode afterward when picked up or touched. Hospital records and common sense tell us that the civilian casualties from this weapon alone are at least in the hundreds.

Obviously, it is up to non-belligerents to do the counting. The Red Cross, the Red Crescent and other groups are presently in the field, interviewing victims' families and cross-checking the data with hospital records and grave sites. These groups still need time to release final or even intermediate figures.

In the meantime, a newly formed team of researchers has been giving us a broad estimate, generated in real-time from the very first day of military action. At the time of this writing, the Iraq Body Count Project (IBCP) estimates the number of civilian casualties to be between 5,430 and 7,046. The group arrived at these numbers by analyzing the casualty reports appearing in news stories from about 30 sources around the world.The researchers publicize the information online.

This notion of a civilian body count - particularly one generated in real-time - is not without its critics. It is impossible to determine the real figure, opponents say, as hospital and governmental records, media reports and eyewitness accounts are all flawed or unreliable. And what about the people who have died under the Hussein regime, and those who would have died had that leader not been removed from power? For the sake of perspective, one must juxtapose those figures against the civilian body count, others argue.

True, some body counts will be inaccurate and some methodologies biased. But figures can always be scrutinized.

Above all, what one must remember is that the families of civilian victims are desperately awaiting aid, and that funds are waiting to be allocated. We must match up the two without delay. Let the counters count.

Shukan ST: June 20, 2003

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