March 21, 2007

THE number of deaths in Iraq since the start of the conflict could be as high as one million, it was claimed yesterday.

On the fourth anniversary of the invasion by Allied troops, an Australian scientist insisted the true death toll dwarfed previous estimates.

Dr Gideon Polya said: "Using the most comprehensive and authoritative literature and UN demographic data yields an estimate of one million post-invasion excess deaths in Iraq."

His figure is far higher than the biggest previous estimate of 655,000.

A spokesman for the Stop The War Coalition said the figure was "astonishing", adding: "Four years after the start of the conflict in Iraq, we can now see what a disaster the war has been.

"Everything we predicted would happen has taken place, but it has been far worse than we feared."

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has hit back at Hans Blix. The former UN chief weapons inspector had claimed that, aside from Saddam Hussein's fall, everything in Iraq since the invasion had been a disaster.

Yesterday, Beckett said: "It's complete nonsense. I'm surprised at Hans Blix saying something so foolish and so negative."

She insisted there had been "a massive amount of change" in Iraq, including elections.

President George Bush came under more pressure after seven US troops were killed in Iraq at the weekend.

And the US military blamed al-Qaeda for chlorine bomb attacks that killed two people in Anbar province.