SFU researchers help determine Iraq war death toll
Posted October 16, 2013 9:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A couple of SFU researchers are helping to shed some light on the death toll in the Iraq war.
Health Sciences professor Tim Takaro and SFU doctoral student Lindsay Galway have contributed to a US-led study gathering the numbers.
Researchers randomly surveyed 2,000 households in Iraq two years ago, asking about deaths before, during and after the war between 2003 and 2011.
Takaro says they found 500,000 deaths are linked directly or indirectly to the invasion. “The highest deaths rates were in the 2008 and 2007 period. It actually remained high through the end of the study, 2011.”
“We learned after our study had been conducted from WikiLeaks that the US government had been collecting information about deaths during the conflict period, even though they denied they were doing it.”
Takaro says up to four teams have gone out and risked their lives trying to get the numbers the US Military already had and refused to make public and he wants the US government held accountable.
He says this study is important because it shows the impact of war and may help influence policy makers.
