WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush gave his first ever estimate Monday of the human costs of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, saying about 30,000 Iraqis had been killed.
Answering questions following a speech to the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia, Penn., Bush said that the number of "Iraqi citizens" who had died in the war was "30,000, more or less."
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan said later Bush was citing media reports, which put the figure at between 27,000 and 30,000, "not an official government estimate," according to a pool report for the White House press corps.
Bush said his number included those who had died in the U.S. invasion -- "as a result of the initial incursion" -- and those killed in the continuing insurgency -- what he called, "the ongoing violence against Iraqis."
But it was not entirely clear whether the number encompassed Iraqi military personnel, several thousands of whom died in the initial phase of the war, or covered only civilians.
The 27,000 to 30,000 range cited by staff matches exactly a widely-quoted figure for civilian casualties, compiled by an anti-war non-profit called the Iraq Body Count.
The group's estimates are based on media accounts.
