The Guardian: 100,000 Iraqis had been killed by coalition troops

"Downing Street yesterday challenged a study claiming that 100,000 Iraqis had been killed by coalition troops since the invasion, as anti-war politicians reacted with horror to the figure," The UK based The Guardian reported today of a study published in the Lancet.

The Guardian said "Tony Blair's spokesman said the government had a number of 'concerns and difficulties' about the methodology used for the groundbreaking investigation into the number of civilians killed in the war.

The Guardian said "The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, had earlier been more cautious, saying ministers would examine the study closely. He said the figure was very high, and that the website Iraq Body Count, relying on western press reports, had put the death toll at 16,000. The latest figure is far higher than any earlier estimate. The Baghdad-based Iraqi Human Rights Organisation estimates 30,000 civilians have died.

The Guardian said "One of the researchers, Gilbert Burnham, said in an interview with the New Republic this week that the study was 'a rough indicator'. The range of deaths was between 8,000 and 194,000, with the most likely figure around 98,000. Ninety-five per cent were due to air strikes and artillery."

The Guardian said "Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'These figures may well be disputed, but the Lancet rightly draws our attention to to the dismaying scale of the deaths. The doctors who carried out this survey, apparently risking their own lives, showed great courage'."