WASHINGTON -

Wednesday, October 26th

Cindy Sheehan and other peace activists will “die in” in front of the White House as more than 400 events throughout the country mark the 2000th US death in Iraq

Earlier in the day, Sheehan will visit Arlington Cemetery

10:30 AM Cindy Sheehan to visit grave of her son Casey’s friend who was killed in Iraq Meet at East Entrance Visitors Center, Arlington Cemetery

7:00 PM Peace Event at White House, die in and civil disobedience Lafayette Park side of the White House

Today the US reached the sad milestone of the 2000th US fatality in Iraq. In Washington, DC, Cindy Sheehan began a week-long vigil in front of the White House to remind those responsible for the Iraq war that people throughout the country are mourning the loss of 2000 US soldiers in Iraq and demanding that the US troops be brought home now.

On Wednesday, Sheehan will visit Arlington Cemetery to pay her respect to the soldiers who’ve lost their lives in the war, including a friend of her son Casey. In the evening, she will join with other peace activists at the White House for a peace vigil, die in and civil disobedience.

Today Sheehan said, “The 2000th American death in Iraq is a tragic number. 246 of our brave young people have been killed in Afghanistan as well. My heart breaks for the families of the fallen and the innocent Iraqis who have also died. But George Bush keeps justifying his disastrous policies by saying we have to kill more people because so many have been killed already. I am calling on the President to meet with me to explain the noble cause that my son and over 2000 other brave Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed for. The cycle of violence and killing has to stop now.”

Peace groups throughout the country have called for vigils, marches and other peace events to be held tomorrow to mark the 2000th US soldier death in Iraq. More than 400 events are planned in 49 states. For a list of all events planned to mark the 2000th US soldier death in Iraq, see http://www.afsc.org/2000/all_locations.php.

Since the summer of 2005, polls have consistently shown that a major of Americans oppose the war in Iraq, think it’s unwinnable, believe it makes us less safe at home and want a timetable for troop withdrawal. Iraqis also want the US to leave. A national survey conducted in August by an Iraqi university research team for the British Ministry of Defense found 82 percent of Iraqis "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops; less than one per cent of the population believes coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security, and 67 per cent of Iraqis feel less secure because of the occupation.

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