THE Iraq conflict is likely to have led to the deaths of more than 174,000 people of all nationalities, an independent database claims.
Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the war on Wednesday the latest figures from the Iraq Body Count (IBC) project were made public.
The IBC has been tracking, analysing and maintaining a public record of civilian deaths since the beginning of 2003 when coalition forces invaded.
The organisation said it has documented 112,017 to 122,438 civilian deaths from violence from March 20, 2003 to last Thursday.
It has calculated that the conflict has led to more than 39,900 combatants of all nationalities being killed.
An IBC spokesman said: "This conflict is not yet history. It is entrenched and pervasive. In major regions of the country armed violence continues to exact a remorseless toll on human life – young and old, male and female – across society."
It comes ahead of a BBC documentary being broadcast tonight which claims vital intelligence used to justify the war was based on "fabrication".
Panorama: The Spies Who Fooled The World documents the chain of secret information that contributed to the decision to invade, including new testimonies.
Meanwhile, a new poll reveals that half the British public believe it was wrong to invade Iraq. The YouGov survey found 53% think the decision was wrong, while 27% believe it was right.
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