2006年VOA标准英语-Study Tallies 655,000 Iraqi War Deaths Since 20

By David McAlary
Washington
11 October 2006

U.S. and Iraqi doctors say the Iraq war has caused hundreds of thousands of civilian¹ deaths since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Their estimate is much higher than others and is being disputed by the Bush administration.

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Man walks by pool of blood at site of bomb blast in Baghdad's Camp Sara (file photo)   
  
Public health experts from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad estimate that 655,000 Iraqis have died since the war began. The lead researcher, Johns Hopkins physician Gilbert Burnham, says these deaths reflect a mortality rate that has more than doubled since the invasion and would not have occurred without the war.

"What we have found is that there is intense violence going on throughout the country. I think the data really show that this is a very generalized process and, in fact, people in Iraq have been quoted as saying that there is hardly a family that does not have a relative who has been killed in this conflict," he said.

The findings show that the overwhelming majority of the deaths since the coalition² invasion, 600,000, are the result of war-related violence. The rest are due to a rise in certain illnesses because of a deteriorating³ public health infrastructure⁴.

According to the survey, gunshots caused more than half the violent deaths, while nearly one-third are attributed to the U.S.-led coalition forces. Air strikes, car bombs, and other explosions are responsible for the rest.

The statistics are based not on body counts but on a scientific sampling of more than 1,800 homes at 47 randomly⁵ selected sites across Iraq between May and July. Researchers asked household members about deaths in the family and their cause. Death certificates confirmed the information in 92 percent of the cases.

The figures appear in the journal Lancet and update a report the researchers issued two years ago that estimated a war toll⁶ of 100,000 Iraqi deaths until that time. The new numbers show an escalation⁷ of the violence since 2004 and are far higher than current estimates from other sources. 
 

George Bush answers questions at news conference, Oct. 11, 2006  
  
Iraq's health ministry⁸ has reported 128,000 deaths in the 40 months of war. President Bush said in December the death figure was just 30,000, but he did not repeat that number when he attacked the study during a news conference.

"I stand by the figure that a lot of innocent people have lost their life. Six-hundred thousand or whatever they guess at is just not credible," commented Mr. Bush.

President Bush criticized the way the study was conducted.

"No question it is violent, but this report is one - they put it out before. The methodology was pretty well discredited," he said.

At the U.S. Defense⁹ Department, a military spokesman says estimating deaths in Iraq is difficult and that the Baghdad government would have the best data. He adds that coalition forces do everything possible to avoid innocent deaths, while armed insurgents¹⁰ deliberately¹¹ target civilians¹².

Gilbert Burnham defends his methodology, describing it as a standard statistical¹³ tool used by governments worldwide to acquire health data about their citizens. He says it is much more reliable than Iraqi government data.

"The information systems in Iraq have broken down in a number of places and so I think it is the general perception in Iraq that the numbers available to the ministry of health are incomplete," he said.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。