Ummmm... I'm astonished. People tell me that you are (usually) very good. But this...
Open your CIA World Factbook and look for death rates. You will find--in addition to the 5.5 per thousand number for Iraq--numbers like these: Syria 5.0... Turkey 6.0... Egypt 5.2... West Bank 4.5... Iran 5.6... Middle Eastern countries, like all countries undergoing population explosions, have young populations and so thus (with modern public health in place) low peacetime death rates.
Who told you that the 5.5 per thousand death rate per thousand was suspicious? If they knew anything, why did they lie to you? If they did not know anything, why did you trust them?
I'd appreciate a call at 925-708-0467 to talk about this.
Sincerely yours,
J. Bradford DeLong U.C. Berkeley