Written question asked by Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 24 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 December 2004. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 December 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what definitions he uses of (a) terrorists and (b) insurgents in relation to Iraq; what his latest estimate is of the number of (i) terrorists and (ii) insurgents operating in Iraq; how many of those (A) terrorists and (B) insurgents operating in Iraq he estimates are (1) not Iraqi citizens and (2) from a foreign country; how many (x) terrorists and (y) insurgents have been (X) killed and (Y) captured in Iraq since major combat operations ended on 1st June 2003; and if he will make a statement. - Peace keeping operations;Terrorism;Death

Answer: Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definitions he uses of (a) terrorists and (b) insurgents in relation to Iraq; what his latest estimate is of the number of (i) terrorists and (ii) insurgents operating in Iraq; how many of those (A) terrorists and (B) insurgents operating in Iraq he estimates are (1) not Iraqi citizens and (2) from a foreign country; how many (x) terrorists and (y) insurgents have been (X) killed and (Y) captured in Iraq since major combat operations ended on 1 June 2003; and if he will make a statement. [200495] Mr. Rammell: There is a definition of terrorism in the Terrorism Act 2000 and there are also widely accepted definitions of insurgency. A large number of different groups involved in violence in Iraq fit into both categories or move between the two. It is impossible to come to a precise figure for the number of terrorists and insurgents currently operating in Iraq. We continue to believe that a sizeable number come from foreign countries. The Ministry of Defence report that in the region of 6,500 individuals have been detained by the UK since March 2003. They were either detained as a prisoner or interned war or for imperative reasons of security. There are no reliable figures for the number of terrorists and insurgents killed in Iraq since the end of major combat operations on 1 May 2003.

Secondary information