1,264 civilian contractors have died in Iraq/Afghanistan according to most recent figures March 10, 2009
Posted by Aaron Walter in Uncategorized.Tags: Deaths, Iraq casualties
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That total is according to Pentagon figures released in September 2008. Sadly, that number rises weekly and the AP has reported another death, a Dyncorp employee shot by a sniper. We reported last spring that the death toll of government contractors had just surpassed 1,000. I hate that the first updated total of this grim statistic had to come in yet another story of a young man cut down in his prime. Our prayers are with Justin Pope’s family and the families of all those who have lost a loved one in these wars.
Below is the AP report:
In outsourced U.S. wars, contractor deaths top 1,000 February 29, 2008
Posted by Aaron Walter in Uncategorized.Tags: Deaths, Iraq, U.S. Contractors
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In outsourced U.S. wars, contractor deaths top 1,000
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The death toll for private contractors in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has topped 1,000, a stark reminder of the risks run by civilians working with the military in roles previously held by soldiers.
A further 13,000 contractors have been wounded in the two separate wars led by the United States against enemies who share fundamentalist Islamic beliefs and the hit-and-run tactics that drain conventional armies.
The casualty toll is based on figures the U.S. Department of Labor provided to Reuters in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act and on locally gathered data.
The department said it had recorded 990 deaths – 917 in Iraq and 73 in Afghanistan – by the end of March. Since then, according to incident logs tallied by Reuters in Baghdad and Kabul, at least 16 contractors have died in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
Aaron Walter
Herb Chestnut
