Stop the War Coalition
In a dramatic about turn, President Obama’s announcement that despite his promise to end the war, US troops are staying in Afghanistan, is more evidence of the failure of the War on Terror.
The war has lasted longer than any modern war, yet after fourteen years of occupation the US has the same number of troops there as were stationed in Afghanistan immediately after the invasion of 2001.
Obama’s admission of failure is highlighted by the conditions in Afghanistan today, where war has never really been absent.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have been killed under Western occupation and the country’s infrastructure has been devastated.
Afghanistan is one of poorest countries in the world and one of the most dangerous for women. The Taliban remains strong and combative in many areas, and as part of the spread of Jihadi groups across whole regions of the globe, Islamic State is now active in Afghanistan.
Obama’s claim that US forces will be concentrating on training Afghan forces is undermined by the recent US bombing attack on the Kunduz hospital run by Medecins sans Frontieres that killed 22 staff and patients. A total of 25 US soldiers have been killed already this year and airstrikes continue.
Stop the War calls for an immediate end to the disastrous occupation and a withdrawal of foreign troops. There can be no meaningful peace process while the country is being policed by the US.
The failure of this operation along with the catastrophes in Iraq and Libya should convince all concerned to oppose the government’s plans for yet another military intervention, this time in Syria.
