Conditions in Iraq

Source: David Brown and Joshua Partlow, "New Estimate of Violent Deaths Among Iraqis Is Lower," The Washington Post, January 10, 2008.

I quote:

A new survey estimates that 151,000 Iraqis died from violence in the three years following the U.S.-led invasion of the country. Roughly 9 out of 10 of those deaths were a consequence of U.S. military operations, insurgent attacks and sectarian warfare.

The survey, conducted by the Iraqi government and the World Health Organization, also found a 60 percent increase in nonviolent deaths -- from such causes as childhood infections and kidney failure -- during the period. The results, which will be published in the New England Journal of Medicine at the end of the month, are the latest of several widely divergent and controversial estimates of mortality attributed to the Iraq war.

We know that a couple of million Iraqi's have fled to other countries, and another couple of million have fled their homes in Iraq to take refuge in new areas.

We also know that the living is hard for those who remain in the country, with a weak economy, bad services, and frequent fearful times.