Iraqi Police and Security Forces Casualty Estimates

^Pr^ep^ar^{ed f}^o^r^M^e^m^b^ers^an^d^Com^mⁱ^t^t^ees^of^C^ong^r^e^ss

This report presents various governmental and non-governmental estimates of Iraqi police and
security forces fatalities. The Department of Defense (DOD) regularly updates total U.S. military
deaths and wounded statistics from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), as reflected in CRS Report
RS21578, Iraq: U.S. Casualties, by Susan G. Chesser, and has released the monthly pattern of
Iraqi security forces deaths. For information on Iraqi civilian deaths, see CRS Report RS22537,
Iraqi Civilian Deaths Estimates, by Hannah Fischer. Because these estimates are based on
varying time periods and have been created using differing methodologies, readers should
exercise caution when using them and should look on them as guideposts rather than as
statements of fact. This report will be updated as needed.

n a November 2008 statement in front of the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador
Zalmay Khalilzad announced that the security situation in Iraq had “significantly improved ¹
since June 2007.” According to the Ambassador, the number of overall attacks since June I

2007 had decreased by 86 % and Iraqi Security Force deaths decreased by 84% in the same time
period.
A Department of Defense (DOD) chart (see Figure 1) also shows a decrease in Iraqi Security
Forces deaths over time. Readers should note, however, that the Department of Defense has not
released the specific numbers associated with the chart, and that there have been conflicting
reports of deaths from news sources and non-profits.
Figure 1. Iraqi Security Forces Deaths, January 2006 - August 2008
³⁵⁰
³⁰⁰
²⁵⁰
²⁰⁰
¹⁵⁰^Deaths
¹⁰⁰
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⁶⁷
^Date
^Source:^{CRS rendition of DOD graph, as derived f}^{rom the}^{Multi-National Corps - Iraq}^report,^Me^asuring
^{Stability a}^{nd Securit}^{y in Iraq, Septe}^{mber 2008}^{, p.22, http://www.defe}^nselink.mil/^pu^bs/^pdfs/
⁹⁰¹^{0_Report_to_Congress_Sep_08.pdf.}
Table 1, below, provides Iraqi security forces and police officers casualty estimates from non-
governmental sources, as well as an estimate of deaths using the chart in Figure 1. These
estimates are based on varying time periods and have been created using differing methodologies,
and therefore readers should exercise caution when using these statistics.

¹^A^m^ba^s^s^a^dor^Za^lm^ay^K^h^a^lilz^a^d^{, “Sta}^te^m^e^{nt by}^A^m^ba^s^s^a^dor^K^h^a^lilz^a^d^on^Sit^u^a^tio^{n in}^I^r^a^{q: A}^m^ba^s^s^ador^’^s^R^e^p^o^r^t^t^o
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Table 1. Iraqi Security Forces and Police Officers Death and Wounded Estimates
^{Iraq Body Count e}^{stimate of police killed (not including security f}^orces)⁴⁸⁸⁴^a
^Janua^ry^{1, 20}^{06 –}^Novem^{ber 30, 200}⁸
^{Iraq Coalition Casualty Count est}^{imate of security force}^{s and}^{police killed}^8,86⁷^a
^{June 20}⁰³^{– Jan}^{uary 6,}²⁰⁰⁹
^{Brookings Institution,}^{Iraq Index}^,^{estimate of security}^{forces and}^p^{olice ki}^lled^8,81³^b
^June²⁰⁰³^{– Decem}^ber¹^{7, 20}⁰⁸
^{Associated Press, estimate of security forces killed}^6,90⁴^c
^{Associated Press, estimate of security forces wo}^unded^8,00⁴^c
^{April 28, 2}⁰⁰⁵^–^Jan^uary^{4, 2}⁰⁰⁹
^{CRS estimate using the}^{Multi-National Corps - Iraq re}^port,^{Measuring Stability a}^{nd Secur}^{ity in Ira}^q,^approx.^e
^{September 2008}^5,73⁷
^Janua^{ry 2}⁰⁰⁶^{- Aug}^ust²⁰⁰⁸
^a.^{Iraq Body Count, at}^{http://www.iraqbodycou}^{nt.org/analysis/num}^be^rs/surge-²⁰^08/
^b.^{Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, “I}^{raqi Police/Mil}^{itary,” at http://icasualties.org.}
^c.^{Brookings Institution, Iraq}^Index:^{Tracking Reconstru}^{ction and Sec}^{urity in Post-Saddam Iraq, p. 6, at}
^{http://www.brookings.edu/saban/}^{iraq-index.asp}^x.
^d.^{CRS communication with Associated Press, Janua}^{ry 5,}²⁰^09.
^e.^{Multi-National Corps - Iraq, Mea}^{suring Stability and Security in}^Ira^{q, Septembe}^{r 2}⁰⁰^{8, p.22, at}
^{http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/}^pdfs/⁹⁰¹^{0_Report_to_Congress_Sep_08.pdf}
^Hanⁿ^ah^Fⁱ^sc^h^e^r
^In^f^o^r^m^a^tion^R^e^s^earch^Specialⁱ^s^t
^h^fⁱ^s^c^h^er@^c^rs^.l^oc.g^o^v^{, 7-}⁸⁹⁸⁹