Iraq war ‘could kill 500,000’
A war against Iraq could kill half a million people, warns a new report by medical experts – and most would be civilians. Collateral Damage is being published on Tuesday in 14 countries and has been compiled by Medact, an organisation of British health professionals
The report claims as many as 260,000 could die in the conflict and its three-month aftermath, with a further 200,000 at risk in the longer term from famine and disease. A civil war in Iraq could add another 20,000 deaths.
General Pete Gration, former Chief of the Australian Defence Forces and an opponent of a war on Iraq, adds: “This is no exaggerated tract by a bunch of zealots. It is a coldly factual report by health professionals who draw on the best evidence available.”