Ten years on, ten Iraq war numbers that say it all
The downfall. Image: AP
TODAY marks 10 years since the start of the Iraq War, which officially ended in 2011. Here are 10 numbers to help put the war in perspective.
0The number of Weapons of Mass Destruction found. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, then US president George W Bush, supported by British PM Tony Blair and Australia's John Howard, argued that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had to be removed to stop him providing weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups.
0.5 (half)
That's the number of Iraqi doctors who remain in the country after virtually half the country's doctors left in the last decade to seek a better, safer life elsewhere.
Too many victims suffer alone. Image: AP
1
The number of McDonald's restaurants in Iraq. The one in Baghdad exists purely for the remaining fragments of the US army who are over there in various post-war roles. But don't assume American culture totally failed to gain a foothold. There is a restaurant in northern Iraq called MaDonal which serves "Big Macks".
44
The average daily summer temperature, in degrees Celsius, of Baghdad in summer. Troops reported unbearable heat while fighting in full combat gear.
4,777
The widely accepted total of coalition casualties in Iraq. At least 4,400 of these were American. Australia lost two soldiers, David Nary and Jake Kovco, both of whom died in accidents rather than combat. It is also worth mentioning that over 3,000 US contractors died in Iraq.
57,889
The number of Iraqis granted humanitarian visas in Australia over the last five years. We issued 36,658 humanitarian visas to people from Afghanistan, the second country on the list.
100,000
An extremely conservative estimate of the number of civilians killed in both the initial invasion and the ongoing battle against insurgents. There is no single source for this number, but most estimates range from 100,000 to 170,000.
600,000
The number of Iraqi civilians executed under Saddam Hussein's regime
The average daily summer temperature, in degrees Celsius, of Baghdad in summer. Troops reported unbearable heat while fighting in full combat gear.
4,777
The widely accepted total of coalition casualties in Iraq. At least 4,400 of these were American. Australia lost two soldiers, David Nary and Jake Kovco, both of whom died in accidents rather than combat. It is also worth mentioning that over 3,000 US contractors died in Iraq.
57,889
The number of Iraqis granted humanitarian visas in Australia over the last five years. We issued 36,658 humanitarian visas to people from Afghanistan, the second country on the list.
100,000
An extremely conservative estimate of the number of civilians killed in both the initial invasion and the ongoing battle against insurgents. There is no single source for this number, but most estimates range from 100,000 to 170,000.
This blast in the first month of the war killed nine civilians. Image: supplied
600,000
The number of Iraqi civilians executed under Saddam Hussein's regime
Burn in hell, murderer (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
600,000
Quite coincidentally, this is the estimated number of ordinary Australians who marched against the Iraq War in marches across the country in February 2003. The marches were populated not just by your standard anti-war dreadlocked hippies, but by people from all walks of life who could see no logical reason to send young soldiers to their deaths.
In addition to the usual suspects, there were countless Mums and Dads. Pic: Andy Baker
That's how much the war has cost the US government. That's one thousand billion, by the way, and it'll soar well over that when interest payments and other factors are taken into account.
