Amid growing Iraqi civilian casualties, the Pentagon announced on Sept 10th that the 1000th American soldier had been killed in the 18-month long occupation of Iraq.
Although the milestone was a lead story in North American media, American soldiers on the ground in Iraq tended to put the figure in context. Captain Gregory Wingard, of the 1st Infantry Division in Baqouba, told Agence France-Presse, "Sad as it is for those 1000 families and their friends, they're nothing to the number of Iraqis that get killed trying to defend their own families."
The Pentagon has not quantified the mounting Iraqi casualty rate, but an estimate culled from worldwide media reports by the Iraq Body Count indicates that the Iraqi noncombatant death toll is conservatively 12 000. Less specific figures based on US estimates suggest the deaths of Iraqi soldiers during the invasion, and resistance fighters since, have surpassed 40 000.
» New Standard: Iraqi deaths quietly mount as official U.S. troop toll passes 1,000
» AP: The uncounted toll on Iraqis
» The Age: Iraqi children killed in US strikes
The Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.