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Help us continue to document this war’s human losses.

Help us continue to make the data freely available to all.

And help us continue to humanise the Iraqi victims behind the numbers.

Five years after the invasion Iraq Body Count (IBC) not only continues to keep a firm day-by-day count, it also maintains the largest public list of named and identified Iraqi dead.

IBC’s work remains a key and unique resource for institutions, researchers, media, and individual citizens.

But IBC is still run by volunteers on a shoestring. Billions are being spent on this war, but almost nothing on recording its Iraqi victims.

If you think we are doing an important job, please don’t leave the website without making a donation.

Your contribution will ensure that the Iraq war’s
civilian victims continue to be visibly and
verifiably documented.

   

Why an Iraq Body Count?

When the IBC project was first launched, many expressed surprise, puzzlement, even disapproval. Though less prevalent now, misunderstanding about the project's aims still exists.

These pages explain the reasoning behind our work: why we do what we do.

Rationale

Contents:

  1. The human cost of war must be recorded
    • 1.1   War is an abomination whose defining characteristic is the organised killing of humans.
    • 1.2   Our common humanity demands the recording of war deaths.
    • 1.3   Every individual killed must be identified.
    • 1.4   We must use every available means to record and preserve knowledge of the dead.
  2. Knowledge of war deaths must be available to all
    • 2.1   The record of a war’s casualties must be made public.
    • 2.2   Knowledge of war’s casualties promotes a human-centred approach to conflict.
  3. US and UK citizens bear particular responsibility for events in Iraq
    • 3.1   The USA and UK led the attack on Iraq.
    • 3.2   No official, public record exists.
    • 3.3   Initiatives independent from government are required.
  4. Documenting violent civilian deaths is our current focus
    • 4.1   Violent deaths are war’s first and most unambiguous lethal outcome.
    • 4.2   The systematic recording of civilian deaths is neglected, when it should be a priority.
  5. Media reports are a vital source of casualty data
    • 5.1   Press and media reports are too rich and valuable a source to be neglected.
    • 5.2   Systematic data collection ensures that as little information as possible is lost.
    • 5.3   Reporting violence and its casualties is a staple activity of journalism.
  6. Casualty data can be put to use in many different ways
    • 6.1   Collecting incident details allows key trends and patterns to be revealed
    • 6.1   Information empowers people to act.
    • 6.2   Multiple uses can be made of casualty information.

© Iraq Body Count 2003-2007