Recent claims by John Reid, the UK defense secretary, that only 'about' 230 British troops had been injured in enemy action since the invasion of Iraq have been met with a certain level of incredulity. This lack of belief also extended into the mainstream.

Information on the actual number of casualties has been withheld by the UK government since the start of the war in 2003 and it has only been due to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that any information at all on the true situation has emerged. We first attempted to obtain information from the MOD when the FOIA first came into force in the UK at the beginning of 2005, and subsequently posted our findings in September. The analysis we presented suggested that by September 2005 total British casualties approximated 1000. The latest, frankly unbelievable, statements from John Reid prompted another letter to the MOD and a fresh request for information disclosure under the FOIA.

Well, the reply has now arrived and it seems that the MOD has decided to stall on releasing full information on British casualties. Interesting indeed, given the latest position adopted by the minister...