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The subsequent wars in Afghanistan (2001β2014) and Iraq (2003β2011) have collectively claimed the lives of more than 200,000 civilians, based on the most conservative credible estimatesβmore than sixty-five times as many civilians as were killed in the September 11 attacks themselves. Emerging regional terrorist groups have, in turn, cited these casualties as a rationale for years of horrific attacks that they have perpetrated against other innocent civilians, and so on. As the Nigerian proverb puts it: βWhen two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.
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Tom Head (World History 101: From ancient Mesopotamia and the Viking conquests to NATO and WikiLeaks, an essential primer on world history (Adams 101 Series))