5 Years and Counting

Its five years since the invasion of Iraq began. Over the next two weeks we will be posting an updated analysis of data on civilian casualties, the impact of the the US 'surge' and our regular updates on British casualties, both there and in Afghanistan.

In the meantime, a piece in the Guardian provides a good overview of what, perhaps, is the most burning question of today:

What is the real death toll in Iraq?
The Americans learned one lesson from Vietnam: don't count the civilian dead. As a result, no one knows how many Iraqis have been killed in the five years since the invasion. Estimates put the toll at between 100,000 and one million, and now a bitter war of numbers is raging.