He said the victim was kidnapped few days ago from Baghdad's southern district of Doura.

Earlier, the Iraqi state-run television reported breaking news saying that gunmen assassinated Khamis al-Ubaidi, without giving further details.

Two of the defense team lawyers for Saddam and his seven top aides were also killed by gunmen in Baghdad in the past, it was reported.

Sooner or later , the US must evolve an exit strategy "to extract our (US) people with a minimum of loss." wrote Hoffman. "We could be moving toward an American Dunkirk ", he added ,like the defeated British Army in 1940 stationed in Belgium , sent fleeing by the Germans to the French coastal city of Dunkirk, where abandoning its equipment it escaped across the English Channel on what ever floating vessels it could get hold off .

The Nazi war machine was grounded , blunted and destroyed by the stubborn Soviet resistance and great sacrifice, with the Americans , through 'war history writing and films' try to corner almost all the credit for the allied victory , with Britain 'pillion riding to glory' . But just watch the caricature of Britain's greatest commander Field Marshal Montgomery in the US film on Gen Patton.

If US had dared adopt the plan requiring sacrifice in men and material to attack the Nazis via Greece , East Europe could have been saved from Communism . But then even against a depleted Nazi onslaught in west Europe at the end , US troops reported a very high desertion rate.

The 'Nightmare Scenario' of the 1991 Gulf War for the coalition assembled by George Bush Senior after UN approval was ; if a few germ-loaded Iraqi Scuds killed a few hundred Israelis, even the presence of senior US officials stationed in Israel to restrain Tel Avia would not have stopped the Israelis from marching to Iraq . In the event of that happening, the coalition, almost a mini-UN force, with Pakistani, Egyptian and even Syrian and other Muslim troops in it for the money and other considerations, would have unraveled. That 'Nightmare Scenario' did not come about.

The current 'coalition of the willing' in Iraq bribed or coerced into joining the invasion, is slowly melting away , leaving the 'opened Iraqi grenade ' in US - UK hands. Who will come to US help? UN ;diminished and declared irrelevant by US and regularly abused by US Ambassador John Bolton; Europeans , insulted and humiliated ,to now become the cannon fodder and suffer backlash as Australia , Spain and UK have. A new book 'Londonistan' by Melanie Phillips paints a frightening picture of what UK might face. It is a sobering warning to all.

The US Neo-cons , responsible for the current US ills having exposed their ignorance of history , incompetence in post war planning , and arrogance based on an evil and racist Straussian ideology have come a cropper .The Republicans are trying to whistle through the dark days to next November elections , in trepiditation. But does it matter , in an almost bi-partisan consensus on gobblisation of others' wealth by US led West.

The cold blooded massacre in Haditha of Iraqi civilians including women and children by US marines , earlier 'Guernica' like destruction of Fallujah and a possible repeat in Ramadi and elsewhere , have only exposed the tip of US crimes .Why blame the troops when the whole western discourse , specially from USA has racist overtones.

There is little fight left on the ground except to drop more lethal bombs and kill more civilians . Ignoring and defying International conventions and human rights ( and civil rights at home ) Washington has experimented with prohibited lethal arms like depleted Uranium , phosphorous and other devices . As it has always done , earlier in Serbia and Afghanistan.

"The wife of a staff sergeant in the 3/1 battalion--members of which are currently accused of murdering Iraqi citizens in Haditha--says that there was 'a total breakdown' in discipline and morale after Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani took over as battalion commander when the unit returned from Fallujah at the start of 2005.... 'There were problems in Kilo Company with drugs, alcohol, hazing, you name it,' she tells Newsweek...'I think it's more than possible that these guys were totally tweaked out on speed or something when they shot those civilians in Haditha." [With few children of the US ruling elite fighting in Iraq there is no personal pain to feel either.]

After an insulting code named 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' to gobble Iraqi oil by force, Washington is directly responsible for all deaths, murders and atrocities under its watch , which the US corporate controlled media hides from American TV viewers and ordinary newspaper readers. Still thanks to many intrepid US journalists and websites , some turning even among the corporate worms masquerading as journalists , Americans are leaning some of the truth .Dead body caskets reaching home and presence of tens of thousands US maimed and injured in the war , brings home the truth of escalating brutal ground reality inIraq.

Hoffman added that in the British occupied Basra region, they have all but given up aggressive patrol and are holed up in their encampments." It is now too dangerous for them to fly helicopters by day. At the point when they must choose between being overrun or withdrawing, the small contingent of British troops facing unknown numbers of militia hidden in and among a hostile population should be able to evacuate the port of Basra even under fire.'

But the situation for US troops is really precarious. Any attempt to carry out aggressive patrolling only increases local hostility, making it easier for the resistance to operate. " It appears that in many places our people may have simply hunkered down to stay out of trouble. The vast construction projects of a few years ago are all but closed down, too, as the American forces appear to be doing less and less of anything but holding on and holding out. "

What can US do ? "Blow what's left of the country to smithereens ' with unspeakable political effects around the world and backlash .But the ground troops have to be still extracted from their plight."

The discourse from so called western politicians , experts and strategicians who claim that a force of half million could have done the job in Iraq , presumes that the colonization and exploitation of resources of others is a western divine right .[ The British failed to subdue Iraq in 1920s and 30s using similar means ; bombings and killings, using poison gas. ]

And in any case the chances of reactivating the draft for half-million pair of boots on the ground for Iraq are nil." If our political leaders have to choose between a new conscription and risking a defeat, there is no question about what they will do." Hoffman concluded "Should discipline continue to break down at the platoon and company level, pulling the scattered American forces together and getting them out may be a harrowing experience. --Air evacuation would mean abandoning billions of dollars of equipment. There is no seaport troops could get to, so the only way out of Iraq would be that same desert highway to Kuwait where fifteen years ago the American Air Force destroyed Saddam Hussein's army."

"Dunkirk in the desert"!

The British were able to escape and return pillion riding with US in the 2nd World War, because the Nazis were more focused for lebensraum in the east to destroy their ideological enemy, the Bolsheviks .But what would US do, fly out helicopters from the Green Zone .A much bigger humiliation than of the US ambassador with the flag, and others scrambling on to the last helicopter from the Embassy Residence helipad.

Influential Congressman John Murtha , a decorated Vietnam War veteran , after being reportedly briefed by senior commanders has repeatedly said that the US Army was " broken , worn out" and "living hand to mouth." In a statement last November he said ,"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region."



"Our military has been fighting a war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. I said over a year ago, and now the military and the Administration agrees, Iraq can not be won "militarily." I said two years ago, the key to progress in Iraq is to Iraqitize, Internationalize and Energize. I believe the same today. But I have concluded that the presence of US troops in Iraq is impeding this progress. --Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. "

If not inevitable, the US denouement was not totally unexpected .Many independent strategic thinkers and analysts had so forecast. In dozens of articles written since August 2002 , the author with decades spent in the region including a ringside view from Amman ( 1989-92) of the 1991 Iraq war had so concluded too. Written for Atimes, com, Saag.com, Al Jazeerah.Info, MWCnet.com , Informationclearinghouse.info , the articles were widely copied all over the world .

A preview assessment based on articles written before the March, 2003 invasion was covered in "Before the March 2003 US-Led Invasion of Iraq" dated 31 March, 2006 in Al Jazeerah.Info, MWCnet.com , Informationsclearinghouse .info and other websites.

This is a sequel based on post 2003 invasion articles up to the June 2004 handing over to Iraqi quislings of the ' sovereignty' in a furtive and secretive manner inside the Green Zone fortress. The articles selected cover how Iraq fought and got rid of British colonial rule after the first world war, similar to the current Iraqi resistance against US led occupation ,which compares with the struggle by Turks under Ataturk in Anatolia under Allied occupation after the first world war and of the Algerians after the second world war against the French settlers and Paris .The nefarious and irresponsible role of US corporate propaganda machine and pro-Government BBC in support of the illegal war , underlining the decline and fall of this noble profession in the West has also been highlighted. Extracts are given below.

Read the articles

The move is politically sensitive for Howard's government, which backed the US-led offensive in Iraq in the face of widespread public opposition.

Protests have faded and the issue has largely slipped from the headlines in recent months, largely because Australia has suffered only one fatality in Iraq.

But the new mission near the volatile city of Nasiriyah, where roadside bombings by insurgents are commonplace, is likely to be more dangerous.

Thirty-one Italian soldiers stationed in Nasiriyah have been killed and Rome plans to withdraw its contingent, once the fourth largest in Iraq, by the end of the year.

"This has the potential to be more dangerous for our soldiers," Nelson said.

He said insurgents were "totally opposed to Iraqi people having the same democratic rights as Australians and other people in the world (and) might possibly want to target Al Muthanna as being the first province to go to Iraqi control."

Howard said Monday that Australian troops would continue guarding the 600-strong Japanese contingent until they left the country, and called the redeployment a "sensible next step."

Japan was expected to announce its withdrawal later in the day.

"The aim is to have the Iraqis look after themselves," Howard said. "If we pull out too quickly ... the whole thing will fall to the ground."

But political opponents seized on the news to demand the withdrawal of the 800 Australian troops.

"They should be brought home right now," said Australian Greens leader Bob Brown. "Moving them from one province to a less safe province is not a good thing to do."