IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) IRAQ: MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED
2) WILL BROWN BRING THE TROOPS HOME?
3) JUST ANOTHER DEAD IRAQI
4) AT LAST: RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ
5) POL POT OF THE AFGHAN SKIES
6) THE NEW DRUMBEAT ON IRAN

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1) IRAQ: MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED
Hassan Jumaa Awad al Assadi, President of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), is speaking in London on Wednesday 18 July (details below). It�s a timely visit following George Bush�s preposterous statement this week that "progress" is being made in Iraq and the US-UK war "can still succeed". The truth is -- as two thirds of the American people now believe � the war has brought the most powerful military force on earth to the brink of defeat. In the process one million Iraqi civilians have been killed and one in seven of the population is now a refugee. 3500 US soldiers have died and the war has cost the American tax payer 450 billion dollars.

Prominent voices in the US Congress, from both the Republican and Democratic parties, have outlined the exit strategy which Bush may well himself adopt before too long:
* Blame the Iraqi people for being too "divisive" to accept the gift of "democracy" and "freedom" brought to them at the end of a Cruise missile;
* Withdraw troops to six giant super-bases that America has built in the Iraqi desert;
* Maintain devastating fire-power at these bases to demonstrate whenever necessary where ultimate authority in the country lies, particularly in relation to its oil.

For this reason, whether America is close to defeat or not, the mass slaughter will continue while Bush fails to secure one of the central aims of his war: to privatise Iraqi oil and hand control of production and profits to foreign oil companies, The oil law before the Iraqi parliament has been devised for this very purpose. The claim that the law is intended to resolve sectarian divisions in Iraq between Sunnis, Shia and Kurds is a smoke screen (the law would in fact enshrine those divisions). George Bush has now openly made the passing of this law a condition for the withdrawal of US troops, but the Iraqi parliament has so far resisted the intimidation and threats because it knows how the majority of Iraqis will react to the theft of their most valuable resource. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/2yx7tj)

Hassan Jumaa is a central figure opposing the attempts to privatise Iraq's oil and transfer control to foreign companies. The union he leads represents 26,000 oil workers across Iraq and it has struck three times against the privatisation of Iraqi oil, as well as consistently opposing the US-UK occupation. "We will stand firm against this imperialist plan, " he says, "that would hand over Iraq's wealth to international capitalism such that the deprived Iraqi people would not benefit from it. Iraqis are capable of managing their companies and their investments by themselves."

Hassan Jumaa's visit will be a rare opportunity to hear at first hand a voice of the Iraqi people which so rarely gets coverage in the mainstream media. The meeting next Wednesday is not to be missed by anyone who opposes the war which has brought Iraq such horrific levels of death and devastation. All welcome.

PUBLIC MEETING: HANDS OFF IRAQI OIL
WEDNESDAY 18 JULY, 7PM
Speaker: Hassan Jumaa Awad Al Assadi
President of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions
FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
EUSTON ROAD, LONDON NW1 2BJ

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2) WILL BROWN BRING THE TROOPS HOME?
So far in July three British soldiers have died in Iraq, following the 12 killed in June, which was the highest monthly loss since the invasion in 2003 (SEE http://tinyurl.com/yl2kme). Everyone knows these are utterly wasted lives, as the British army only remains in Iraq to provide political cover for George Bush, the war having brought his poll ratings to the lowest level ever recorded for an American president. Gordon Brown has given no indication so far that he will deviate from Tony Blair's policy to keep British troops in Iraq for at least as long as Bush remains in office.

Which is why the anti-war campaign in this country is as important as ever. The scale of killing in Iraq is escalating, not least due to the "surge" in US troop numbers. An average of over 100 civilians are dying violent deaths every day in Iraq and one million dead is the current estimate for the total number of Iraqis killed by the war (SEE http://tinyurl.com/289vlj). If the British government announces the withdrawal of all its troops, the political pressure on Bush to follow suit will be overwhelming. What we do in this country to hasten the British withdrawal can make a significant difference.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
* 27 October: Stop the War Coalition National Conference
" 01 December: International Peace Conference in London
FULL DETAILS OF THESE EVENTS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE STOP THE WAR WEBSITE:

http://tinyurl.com/ynnjcc

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3) JUST ANOTHER DEAD IRAQI
"A dead Iraqi is just another dead Iraqi, you know, so what?" This is the comment of one soldier in interviews with 50 US war veterans, which reveal the terrible daily brutality inflicted on innocent civilians, with terrifying house raids; random checkpoint shootings; and speeding convoys that wipe out anyone in their path. "You can honestly see how the Iraqis in general or even Arabs in general are being, you know, kind of like dehumanized," said one soldier. "Like it was very common for United States soldiers to call them derogatory terms, like camel jockeys or Jihad Johnny or, you know, sand nigger." Another soldier says, "I just brought terror under the American flag and that�s just not what I joined the army to do."
TO READ THE FULL REPORT, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/26orzd

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4) AT LAST: RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ
The US government has allocated 21 billion dollars for reconstruction in Iraq, of which 80 per cent has been spent. Where has it gone? Not on reconstruction that benefits the Iraqi people, that's for sure. Electricity output remains below pre-war levels, much of Iraq has no access to clean drinking water and in many towns sewerage runs in open drains. So where have all those billions gone? Many millions went to American companies in fraudulent scams for projects which were never completed, and some never even started. But most of the funding supposedly earmarked for rebuilding the infrastructure which has been destroyed by America's 'shock and awe' bombing has been spent on so called 'security'. In other words, it has increased the funding of the military apparatus which is engaged in the very opposite of reconstruction, being responsible for the ever escalationg levels of death and destruction.

But some reconstruction has been very successful and finished on time. Saddam's former palace in Bahdad has been turned into the biggest US embassy in the world -- even bigger than The Vatican in Rome -- at the staggering cost of 592 billion dollars. It will open in September, will have a staff of thousands and cost the American tax payer 1.2 billion dollars a year to run. Similarly, the construction of the US military super-bases continues apace at the cost of countless billions. So much for America having no wish to have a permanent presence in Iraq. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/3bhfcw)

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5) POL POT OF THE AFGHAN SKIES
Over the past few months, the United States forces in Afghanistan have set out to prove that its air force could kill more civilians than the number achieved by the Taliban. This is the daring strategy devised to defeat the Taliban by U.S. General Dan McNeill, known as "Bomber" to his troops. This week his goal was achieved. UN and local rights groups tallied 314 civilians killed by McNeil's forces and 279 killed by the Taliban and associates.

How was this achieved? One example in March, was the four women, four children under 5 years old and an 80-year-old man killed when McNeil's bombers reduced their home in Kapissa to a mud brick rubble. This apparently was the fault of civilians for living in populated areas that can provide a shelter for Taliban on the run. And no doubt the 100 people killed when six homes were flattened in the Girishk district were responsible for their own slaughter. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/2m6nmf)

As writer Richard Neville states, in his article titled "Pol Pot of the Afghan Skies", this is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, which state, "Parties to conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objectives." Even Afghan's puppet President Hamid Karzai has condemned foreign forces for careless 'use of extreme force' and for viewing Afghan lives as 'cheap'. (SEE

http://tinyurl.com/2o4lof)

And what is Gordon Brown's response to this? To confirm British particpation for the US led carnage in Afghanistan, another unwinnable war where there are now more British troops deployed than in Iraq and where they are being killed at an ever increasing rate.

NEW STOP THE WAR BRIEFING PAPER ON AFGHANISTAN
To download and to order, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2apb64

STOP THE WAR AFGHANISTAN DAY SCHOOL:
For details, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2kr7v3

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6) THE NEW DRUMBEAT ON IRAN
The American people aren't buying George Bush's previous rationale for attacking Iran, i.e. its alleged � but definitely unproven � intention to build nuclear weapons. So now the US hawks have come up with another excuse: "We must strike because Iranians are killing our soldiers in Iraq." (http://tinyurl.com/2j3jrk)

As with weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, not one piece of evidence has been produced to justify this accusation, but the US Senate has still voted unanimously to condemn Iran. In the words of arch hawk, Senator Joe Lieberman, "This is a warning to the Iranians that whatever differences divide us politically here in Washington, we stand united against these outrageous attacks.'' (SEE http://tinyurl.com/2b4mqp)

We cannot predict the likelihood of an attack on Iran, but the intensification of the warmongering rhetoric, against the looming prospect of defeat in Iraq, make it an increasing possibility. The consequences for the Iranian people, the middle east region and for the stability of the world are incalculable, which is why we must maintain the pressure on Gordon Brown for Britain to oppose any attack on Iran.

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