thousands dead, nothing said

The last British troops are on their way out of Iraq, quitting Basra in the southeast of the country.

I have been wanting Britain to get out of Iraq since it first got into the place. But somehow I am managing to contain my delight.

The UK forces have now handed control of Basra over… to the US. It is an imperial game of pass-the-parcel.

Gordon Brown has had a word or two to say. Here he is, from the Number 10 website.

Today we open the next chapter in our relations, a chapter which I preface with my deep respect and appreciation for Iraq’s achievements and my gratitude to Britain’s armed forces who have made such a lasting contribution.

What kind of lasting contribution?

Well, according to Iraq Body Count, 3,845 ordinary Iraqis have died violent deaths in the Basra area since the Iraq war began. Yeah, that should last.

The IBC map shows how the Basra deaths fit into a far higher total of around 100,000 across 12 of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Other estimates, such as those published in the Lancet medical journal, are higher still.

The Lancet put the death toll at 655,000 in 2006. Extrapolating the figures to today would put the Iraqi deaths at well over a million. The deaths figure for Basra would be many times higher than the IBC numbers.

Here’s a bit more from Gordon:

Today Iraq is a success story. We owe much of that to the efforts of British troops. Our mission has not always been an easy one, many have said that we would fail.

He must have forgotten to give his condolences.

But Brown has remembered the far smaller number of UK casualties.

A memorial in Basra, honouring the British service men and women who lost their lives in Iraq would be “preserved for ever”.

The reason the Iraqi death figures come from the Lancet and Iraq Body Count is that the occupying forces have refused to keep count or ever list the names of Iraqis who have died as a result of the US/UK war. In the Brown book of condolence you get a name and a memory if you’re British. If you’re Iraqi, you don’t.

We do know the name of one Iraqi man who died in Basra, though. Hotel worker Baha Mousa was beaten to death by British soldiers. A post-mortem revealed 93 separate injuries on his body. It took five years for the Ministry of Defence to come up with an apology and compensation.

There has been no apology – or even acknowledgement – for the rest of the IBC’s estimated 3,854 deaths in Basra, let alone the many more who have died according to the Lancet’s scientific study. Yet each of those people will be terribly missed by their family and friends, just as Baha Mousa is missed by his wife and two young sons.

The Downing Street statement has something far more important to report, however.

The PM said there was now a clear message for companies worldwide: “Iraq is open for business.”

Oh yes.

Mr Brown said the UK would begin negotiations with Iraq on investment promotion.

Iraq – now a fine investment opportunity for British capital. There’s a success story for you.