Several readers pointed out that the format of the chart of Iraqi civilian casualties produced by General Petraeus in the House committee hearing today didn’t match up with the civilian casualty charts we had produced at TPMmuckraker. So we’ve combined the numbers into a single chart for comparison purposes (click to enlarge):
A couple of points of clarification. The Iraq Body Count provides a maximum and minimum range of casualties per month. We have included only the IBC minimum number in this chart (you can see both IBC numbers charted here). Also, as you can see from the chart, the most recent month for which IBC numbers are available is June 2007.
Let me emphasize again that this chart is not comparing apples to apples. The AP and IBC used different methodologies, and Petraeus has not revealed his command’s methodology, which tellingly remains classified. So comparisons among the numbers have limited utility.
Late Update: One other point that should be emphasized is that the IBC’s final numbers lag because of a reporting lag. The IBC expects its numbers, especially from more recent months, to rise as additional casualty reports are received.
Later Update: We’ve created a larger version of the chart above for your viewing pleasure.
