Iraqi bishop says majority of dead were innocent civilians

Published: 2005-12-14

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The vast majority of Iraqis killed in the 1,000 days since the U.S.-led invasion of their country were innocent civilians, a Baghdad bishop said. "There are very many dead from the conflict, from car bombs and kamikaze attacks as well as kidnapped people who later were killed," Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad told Vatican Radio. "Unfortunately, there have been very many deaths, and the absolute majority of them were innocents," he said Dec. 13 after Vatican Radio asked him to comment on the death toll given by U.S. President George W. Bush. Responding to questions Dec. 12, Bush said, "30,000 Iraqis, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis. We've lost about 2,140 of our troops in Iraq."

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .