"During hostilities, we won't accept any money from the belligerants because we are determined to be able to respond in an independent way to the crisis," a spokeswoman told the AFP.

Accepting such funds "would allow governments to effectively use humanitarian operations as an instrument of war", they continued.

Oxfam stressed that this would not prevent them from providing relief to Iraq, and that they would continue to solicit funds from the public, the European Union, the United Nations and countries without troops engaged in Iraq.

WAR.WIRE