Iraq civilian casualties numbers uncertain

Figures vary widely as to how the war in Iraq has impacted the lives of their civilian population. But here are just a few stories I found to be informative (0f 178,000 Google hits):

• In a very useful July 2005 story, the BBC reports that an estimated 25,000 Iraqis have died in the conflict in Iraq (click on the link in the title of this post to read the full article). The report, done by IraqBodyCount and the Oxford Reasearch group, notes that " 'On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003,' said John Sloboda, one of the authors of the report." The UK site Iraqbodycount site is often used as a resource for what has actually happened (see one of their recent press releases). The site accepts donations, by the way.
• A June 3 article from the Washington Post reports that the Iraqi government states that there have been 12,000 losses in the last 18 months alone.
• A July 2005 article discussed the findings of an Iraqi humanitarian organization study, noting that the figures (128,000) are much larger than other reported, to quote:
  "The number includes those who died during the U.S. assaults on al-Fallujah and al-Qa'im. 'Iraqiyun's figures conflict with the Iraqi Body Count public database compiled by Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. According to the Graduate Institute of International Studies' database, 39,000 Iraqis have been killed as a direct result of combat or armed violence since March 2003. No official estimates of Iraqi casualties from the war have been issued by the Pentagon, which insists that it does not do 'body counts.' The Washington Post on July 12 reported that U.S. military deaths in Iraq now total 1,755."
• And a 10/29/04 article cites a university study on the question so hard to nail down. The study, done by Johns Hopkins, Columbia and an Iraq university, estimates that casualties numbered at least 100,000 almost a year ago.
• Different kinds of lists include one describing the number (254) and nationality of contracters killed.
• This site is a comprehensive chart of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, and included the figure of 23,006 Iraq civilians killed as of 7/31/05.
• And the mykeru site presents a very unsettling graphic of the body count as of 7/27/05: 22,938.