12K Iraqis Killed by Suicide Bombs

Roughly 1K bombings also account for 30K civilian injuries
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 4, 2011 2:55 PM CDT
Iraqi Suicide Bombers Have Killed 12K Civilians: Study
Mourners carry the coffins of two slain pilgrims killed in a bombing in the Shiite city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011.   (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

Suicide bombs have killed more than 12,000 Iraqi civilians and wounded another 30,000 since the war started in March of 2003, according to a new study. The numbers account for 11% of the 108,624 civilian deaths and 26% of the 117,165 civilian injuries, but aren't considered final because accurate data on casualties is hard to come by. "Not every death or injury is reported, or linked to a suicide bombing as a cause," said the study.

The study compared suicide bomb tallies to data compiled by Iraq Body Count, a public database that has been accused of over- and under-reporting Iraqi deaths, CNN reports. The British journal that published the study, the Lancet, was criticized for running a study 5 years ago claiming the war had taken 600,000 Iraqi civilian lives. Other tidbits from the new study: 1,003 suicide bombings were counted in all, 79 of which had killed 200 coalition troops, including 176 Americans. (More suicide bomber stories.)

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