Of the 601,027 violent deaths, 31 per cent were directly attributed to Allied forces, with 24 per cent attributed to “other” causes and 45 per cent attributed to an “unknown” cause.
Leaving aside the question of whether or not 600,000 is an accurate figure (discussion ongoing below), I want to know why were the three categories of causes of death – “Allied forces”, “other” and “unknown”?
Who might the mysterious “others” and “unknowns” who the Lancet report says are responsible for over two thirds of the deaths in Iraq actually be?
I’m no scientist or statistical expert but I’m going to take a risk here and offer a few suggestions as to the kind of people they might just, possibly, be.
If the Lancet report is to be believed then the “unknowns” and “others” are responsible for 400,000 deaths in Iraq.
These poor Iraqis – ragged people, with their sandals, with their Kalashnikovs, with the lightest and most basic of weapons – are writing the names of their cities and towns in the stars, with 145 military operations every day, which has made the country ungovernable.
