[Stopwar-l] New location - StopWar meeting Wed, Dec. 7, 5:30pm

[StopWar]

A reminder that StopWar's regular monthly meeting is coming up this
Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 5:30pm. Please note this week the meeting will be
held at a different location - Joe's Cafe, 1150 Commercial Drive (at
William St)

We hope to see you there!

Also, for your information, here is the latest statement from the Canadian
Peace Alliance. Please circulate this to your networks.

***

http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/End-the-Drone-War.html

End the Drone War:
One more reason for NATO to get out of Afghanistan and Pakistan

November 29, 2011

The attacks that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers are but the most recent and
most high profile attacks in a decade-long drone war in Pakistan.
Unfortunately these attacks are not an aberration, but part of a
systematic use of drones that have killed thousands of people.

The Obama administration, while promising to scale back US operations in
Central Asia, has overseen a huge increase in drone attacks. More than 300
attacks have occurred, or one every 4 days, under President Obama's
leadership.

It is impossible to estimate the number of dead from the attacks but a
series of investigations by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism show
almost 3,000 dead including 175 children. The government of Pakistan says
that 700 civilians were killed in 2009 alone. The Brookings Institution
estimates that for each “militant” killed, 10 civilians die in drone
strikes.

This most recent attack shows the complete disdain that Washington has
towards the people of Pakistan. The CIA, which oversees the drone war, was
given the location of the Pakistani checkpoint near the border but once
again chose to fire. Either the drones are preposterously inaccurate or
there is an utter contempt for the people of Pakistan.

All told, there are more than 30,000 Pakistani soldiers and civilians who
have been killed since the war on terror started. The instability in the
country is increasing and the potential for civil war and more bloodshed
in the future.

As many predicted, the war in Afghanistan has spread to Pakistan and the
prospects for peace in either country grow more distant with each new
drone strike. It is time for the international community, including the
government of Canada, to condemn these killings and the violations of
Pakistani sovereignty and to bring all western forces home from the
region.