WAGES OF WAR
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James Joyner | Thursday, November 6, 2003 |
Project on Defense Alternatives has released a research report on civilian casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Between 19 March and 1 May 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom cost the lives of approximately 201 coalition troops; 148 of these were Americans. On the Iraqi side: a review and analysis of the available evidence shows that approximately 11,000 - 15,000 Iraqis, combatants and noncombatants, were killed in the course of major combat actions. (Iraqi casualties incurred after 20 April are not included in this estimate). Of the total number of Iraqi fatalities during the relevant period, approximately 30 percent (or between 3,200 - 4,300) were noncombatant civilians — that is: civilians who did not take up arms. ***
Both the absolute number and the proportion of noncombatants among the Iraqi war dead was higher in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) than in Operation Desert Storm (ODS), twelve years earlier. This, despite (i) the intervening years of technological development and enhancements to US warfighting capabilities (which cost US taxpayers ~ $1 trillion) and despite the fact that (ii) far fewer aerial munitions were used in OIF than in ODS and a much higher proportion of these were guided.
Given that much of the fighting in Desert Storm took place in Kuwait, that the populous city of Baghdad wasn’t invaded, and the vastly different missions of the two operations, it’s hardly surprising that more civilians died in this war than the last. Indeed, it’s rather surprising that this few people were killed under the circumstances.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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