Not Counting the Dead

Derrick Z. Jackson examines the "numbing prattle" from US military officials "about the precision of our weaponry, precaution to avoid needless carnage, and promises to investigate possible mistakes." During the war, officials said pledged investigations into civilian casualties, but are now admitting that the "investigations" were never conducted. A recent Associated Press report counted more than 3,000 civilian deaths. The Iraq body count has tallied more than 5,000. Another group, the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, is conducting its own count and campaigning for U.S. compensation to family members of the dead.