From US Labor Against the War

OCCUPATION FORCES ATTACK IRAQI OIL WORKERS, KILL ONE

The piece of news is an email from Hassan Juma'a Awad, President of the Iraq Federation of Oil Unions:

There has been a dangerous escalation:

"The occupation forces had attacked and shot at a number of workers and employees who went yesterday to work at the pipelines near the Rumailah Oil field, in the south of Iraq. The attack resulted in the killing of the head engineer, Taleb Naji Abboud. The Iraq Federation of Oil Unions and Employees denounces this vicious and cowardly attack on its members, brazenly committed by the occupation forces in the day light against its members. We denounce this attack and this interference in our work, and we demand that the government stand behind the workers of Iraq in the Oil Sector and not to work against them.

The Federation of Oil Unions and Employees in Iraq decided to have a sit-in in front of the Oil Company in Basra at 10:00 AM today (Sept 20th). This sit-in is a strong message to the government that the Federation of Oil Unions and Employees will be the one to kick the occupation forces out of Iraq."
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[In a brief subsequent report, we learned that the IFOU did conduct a demonstration in front of the offices of the Southern Oil Company in Basra.  Neither occupation nor Iraqi forces interfered.  There were no arrests and no one was injured; there were no provocations.  We will report additional details as they become available.]