LONDON, Feb. 22--Prince Harry is going to war.

The younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana will be deployed to Iraq in the coming months as the first Royal Family soldier to serve in a war zone in 25 years. Now known officially as Cornet Wales, a rank equivalent to 2nd lieutenant, the ruby-cheeked prince will serve in Iraq for six months commanding a squadron of 12 men in four Scimitar armored reconnaissance vehicles.

Iraqi toll lowballed by tens of thousands

The number of Iraqis killed, however, is much harder to pin down, and that uncertainty is perhaps reflected in Americans’ tendency to lowball the Iraqi death toll by tens of thousands.

Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated at more than 54,000 and could be much higher; some unofficial estimates range into the hundreds of thousands. The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq reports more than 34,000 deaths in 2006 alone.

Among those polled for the AP survey, however, the median estimate of Iraqi deaths was 9,890[ed. !!!!]. The median is the point at which half the estimates were higher and half lower.

- posted by Cynthia @ 3:07 PM | | | Link |