Report: U.S. does keep Iraqi body count

WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- The late humanitarian aid worker Marla Ruzicka has dispelled previous claims the U.S. Army does not keep track of the number of Iraqi civilians killed.

In an essay she wrote for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch before she was killed by a suicide car bomber last weekend, Ruzicka refuted a statement by Tommy Franks, the former head of U.S. Central Command, who said the U.S. army "don't do body counts," The Independent reported Wednesday.

Ruzicka, 28, reported a brigadier general told her it was "standard operating procedure" for U.S. troops to file a report when they shoot a non-combatant, in line with requirements of the Geneva Convention.

For example, she found 29 civilians had been killed in Baghdad in firefights with U.S. forces Feb. 28 and April 5.

"These statistics demonstrate that the U.S. military can and does track civilian casualties," Ruzicka wrote. "Troops on the ground keep these records because they recognize they have a responsibility to review each action taken and that it is in their interest to minimize mistakes, especially since winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis is a key component of their strategy."