Reply #2: Official sites base their numbers on

[RaleighNCDUer]

Iraq Body Count, which only lists those cited in 2 independent media accounts. With the shape the media and communications are in, that 25,000 must be considered an absolute minimum number. If there is no media presence to report the death, or no second, confirming media presence, it won't be counted. Also, there is the fact that in many instances civilians are being counted (or not counted, as the case may be) among the insurgents. There is still no accounting for all casualties in Falluja, but the US military declared that all who didn't flee before the assault were insurgents, and therefore there were fewer than 100 civilian deaths there.

And none of this includes the increased numbers who have died of disease or contaminated water, because they were unable to obtain medicines, or of accidents, because they were unable to get to an operating hospital or clinic because of fighting or roadblocks.