Margaret Griffis / AntiWar.com – 2018-01-03 20:02:03
36,898 Killed in Iraq During 2017
Margaret Griffis / AntiWar.com
(January 2, 2018) — At least 36,898 people were killed, and 8,753 were wounded in Iraq during 2017. These figures should be considered lowball estimates, especially considering that the number of casualties being reported publicly was reduced. During 2016, 52,369 people were killed 21,795 were wounded. [See report below. — EAW] The Iraqi government chose to censor information about security casualties and perhaps even civilian ones. Consequently, at the end of 2016, the United Nations was hectored into limiting the number of casualties it was allowed to compile on the ground.
The Antiwar.com breakdown is as follows: at least 9,036 civilians killed, and another 6,607 wounded. However, Kurdish intelligence reported, in July, a belief that at least 40,000 civilians were killed in Mosul alone. Certainly, many bodies remain uncounted under the rubble left by the battle for Mosul, or in unmarked mass graves. The number of civilian wounded dropped considerably despite security campaigns across Iraq. This is unlikely to be true.
At least 1,696 security personnel were killed and 1,827 were wounded. In September, Coalition forces revealed that over 1,200 Iraqi soldiers were killed during the Mosul campaign alone, nearly doubling the number of dead.
Among the militants, at least 24,276 were killed, and 309 were wounded. Unlike the civilian and security casualties, the number of militant dead could be an exaggeration, or it could also be a low number.
Among foreign military forces, 33 were killed or died while in Iraq. The US lost 17 personnel (four in hostile events). The Turks lost 14, while another 10 were wounded. France lost one member in a hostile attack. A British servicemember was also killed. Iran lost at least one soldier. In March, officials admitted that 2,100 Iranian servicemembers were killed in Iraq or Syria, so the number of dead personnel must be higher, but is not being included in this compilation.
Iraq also executed at least 111 prisoners. Some analysts believe the number is higher. At least 546 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.) were also killed.
[In other news:]
* At least four people were killed, and five more were wounded in recent violence:
* Four militiamen were wounded in a highway bombing near Riyadh.
* A bomb in Radwaniya wounded a tribal fighter.
* An airstrike killed three militants in Sansal.
* An ISIS mufti was killed Houd al-Zour, along with a number of companions.
52,369 Killed in Iraq During 2016;
3,174 Killed During December
Margaret Griffis / AntiWar.com
(January 02, 2017) — At least 52,369 people were killed in Iraq during 2017. Another 21,795 were wounded.
According to figures compiled by Antiwar.com, at least 9,148 civilians, 6,430 security personnel, and 36,661 militants were killed. Also, three US servicemen were killed in combat in Iraq. (A fourth one was killed fighting the Islamic State militants in Syria.) A British bomb disposal expert and 125 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party were killed as well. Two French soldiers, a British bomb disposal expert, and an Australian NGO worker were wounded. These figures are similar to 2015’s, which were 52,045 killed and 19,651 wounded.
In December, at least 3,174 people were killed and 1,939 were wounded. Of these, 798 were civilians killed. Another 1,658 civilians were injured. Security forces lost 154 personnel, while another 177 were wounded. At least 2,181 militants were killed, and 104 were injured. Also, at least 41 Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.) members were killed in Turkish airstrikes within Iraqi territory. These figures are likely to be low estimates.
Due to the nature of the conflict and the Iraqi government restricting the release of actual numbers, true counts are impossible to derive. Last month, when 5,719 people were reported killed and another 1,734 were wounded, the United Nations had given reasonable estimates that the Iraqi government later criticized.
Subsequently, the UN said it would no longer publish estimates concerning security personnel. The UN did release its civilian estimates on Monday. The organizations operatives on the ground counted 386 civilian deaths and 1,066 injuries during December.
Occasionally, however, a glimpse into the extent of the bloodshed is given. For example, the head of the heath department in Erbil, Saman Barzinji, said on December 22 that about 7,595 injured people, including security personnel, had been taken to hospitals in Erbil during operations in Mosul. However, even assuming that the figure was accurate at the time, it only measures how many wounded arrived at hospitals within Barzinji’s jurisdiction. Many of the injured were treated at field hospitals or clinics closer to the fighting before being released.
Also, figures concerning the number of militants killed could be faulty. Baghdad may be exaggerating the numbers for propaganda purposes. Or, they may even be counting civilians as militants, perhaps accidentally. Without independent confirmation from behind enemy lines, these figures are likely never to be known fully.
In other news:
* French President Francois Hollande traveled to Iraq to visit with French troops and meet with Iraqi officials.
* At least 342 were killed and 31 were wounded in more recent violence:
* Five suicide bombers struck at a police checkpoint in Qadisiya, killing seven people and wounding 15 more. Of the dead, five were policemen.
* A booby-trapped flag killed an army officer and wounded three soldiers in Abu Garma.
* An attack on Mtabijh left two militiamen dead and three wounded.
* In Mosul, two civilians were killed and 10 were wounded in a suicide attack in Karama. A drone killed 20 militants in a western neighborhood. At least 302 militants were killed in clashes.
* Security forces killed a top commander and his companion on Lake Hamrin. At least one more militant was reported killed.
* Clashes are ongoing near Baquba.
* Islamic State militants captured a village in the Abu Saida region.
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