Estimate of Saddam's Victims Tops One Million

Talon News ^ | 12/12/2003 | Jeff Gannon

[Jeff Gannon]

(Talon News) -- A Gallup Poll of Baghdad residents conducted last August and September indicates that Saddam Hussein's regime may have murdered as many as 61,000 citizens of the Iraqi capital.

It was well known that Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south were the primary targets of the dictator's brutality, but this new poll reveals that even those living within the "Sunni Triangle" were not spared.

Gallup surveyed 1,178 Baghdad residents asking whether a member of their household had been executed by Saddam's regime. An astounding 6.6% said yes.

The new data suggests that previous estimates based on mass graves recently discovered that put the number of victims at 300,000 to 500,000 might be too low. Some are revising their figures upwards to one million or more. Forty-one mass graves have already been confirmed.

When asked about the rising death toll in Iraq, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told Talon News, "There was an announcement by the Iraqi Governing Council earlier this week about the tribunal that they have set up to hold accountable members of the former regime who were responsible for three decades of brutality and atrocities. And we welcome that decision by the Governing Council."

On Wednesday, the IGC formally established a war crimes tribunal to try former leaders of Saddam Hussein's government. The body may try Saddam Hussein in absentia for crimes against humanity during his reign of terror.

McClellan added, "We continue to learn more and more about the atrocities of the former regime as time goes on. And I think the Iraqi people suffered for decades under a very brutal regime, and that regime is not coming back; we can assure the Iraqi people of that."

He declined comment on whether the administration was urging the United Nations to become involved in the investigation of the mass murders that appear to be on track to exceed the death toll of other recent atrocities in Kosovo and Rwanda.

The United Nations itself has taken little action to address the Iraq situation from the aspect of victims of the former regime.

Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved.

[Diogenesis]

Dan Rather [on the frequency of murder, mayhem and terror]: "Mr. President, if only you knew how
much I and others at CBS support you and Castro rather than our unelected Bush."

Terrorist-Murderer Saddam: "Mr, Rather, it is absolutely remarkable that you media girly men
will repeatedly betray the USA, your President, and even the American people during war
for so little. Do you realize that for about two million Iraqis and others we have captured
I usually must gang rape a man's children and his wife,
and then burn and mutilate them, force their children through paper shredders
and then remove testicles and arms before we see such betrayal.
We, the Baathists and terrorists worldwide, are very lucky to have you as you are, Dan."

[zencat]

A million here, a million there. Do these numbers have any meaning to liberals?