As coalition forces approach Baghdad, Iraqi civilian deaths are likely to increase. Saddam’s power base is strongest in the Iraqi capital city, as well as in Tikrit, his home town. Saddam’s real power lies in these cities, not in the mainly Shi’ite south or Kurdish north, and other parts of Iraq. Saddam’s faithful—a mostly minority Sunni population of Iraq—are not going to go down without a fight, as they know that this is the end of the road for them.

There are innocents in the way of both coalition and Iraqi forces. But there is a big difference between the code of conduct of American/coalition soldiers and the depravity of Saddam's thugs (I'm not counting the poor Iraqi Joe's that are forced to fight and surrender whenever they can). While US marines will not fire on civilians, and risk their lives to save Iraqi folk, Saddam's thugs use their own people as human shields.

As the war is only two weeks old, the total number of Iraqi civilian deaths—or in military-speak, “collateral damage"—is hard to come by. Official Iraqi figures claim that 589 civilians have been killed while 4,500 have been wounded. No third-party confirmation of these Iraqi government claims is available. Whether one believes Saddam’s minions or not, civilians have died. An "independent" website has been set up to count the casualties, being tallied from worldwide sources.

It would not be surprising if the Saddamites and their supporters have exaggerated death count claims, as it is in their interest to try to sway world opinion against the coalition. It does seem truly surprising how few casualties have been independently reported, given the scale and ferocity of the coalition assault and the reprisals by Saddam's henchmen against their own people. The coalition forces (Australians, Poles, Americans, British, Kurds, etc.) do seem to have gone to extremes to minimize civilian deaths. But claims and counter-claims continue to fly regarding who killed who.

For example, take the case of the Baghdad market where 14 people were killed and many others injured, either by a stray coalition smart-bomb or an errant Iraqi anti-aircraft missile, depending on who you believe.

In another case, where a van full of Iraqi civilians got shot up at an American checkpoint, some claim that U.S. soldiers fired inappropriately, while others say the van charged the checkpoint and American soldiers fired only in self-defense.

Claims and counter-claims aside, it is obvious that coalition forces have not committed atrocities like the Saddamites have. Saddam’s hard core military have taken Iraqi children hostage to force their parents to fight coalition troops. Saddam’s henchmen have disguised themselves as civilians and then ambushed the coalition troops that approach them. Hardcore "Fedayeen" threaten and kill Iraqi's who prefer the protection of coalition forces over their compatriot overlords. Iraqi "soldiers" have fired on coalition soldiers from inside ambulances and have intentionally put their own people in harm's way.

There is no denying the horrible, repressive, brutality of Saddam’s regime. Saddam is (was) an imminent danger to the world, with his weapons of mass destruction, paying Palestinians to kill Jews, and complicity in world terrorism.

What are we (U.S., Britain, Lithuania, Kuwait, Israel, Poland) supposed to do? Pass another 17 UN resolutions? Give Saddam “more time" to hide his weapons of mass destruction, kill his own people, support international terror, and threaten his neighbors? Do we allow the disease of dictatorship to fester in the Middle East and keep that region a flash-point for Armageddon? Keep sitting on our hands? No.

I truly lament the deaths of Iraqi civilians, but I believe the coalition is fighting the good fight. An Iraq without Saddam will be a much better, friendlier Iraq—one that can again participate in the world community, and whose people can contribute their beautiful culture and gifts to the enlightenment of humanity.

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