"Although the 400,000 figure really is not credible at any level – and not even the coalition uses it any more – it has been embedded in the minds of many commentators on the crisis. For example, it was cited in a
Special Report on the Arab world by the usually scrupulous
Economist a couple of weeks ago, which also claimed that just over 100,000 people had been killed in Iraq over the same time
period." (thanks Maria)