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Afghanistan..... 12 years later

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan.  

Two pieces reflect where things are at in the ongoing war.

From RootsAction:

"There are almost twice as many U.S. troops in Afghanistan now as when Barack Obama became president. We're still spending over $10 million every hour (even during a government shutdown) for a war in Afghanistan that has now completed its 12th year and entered its 13th. This spending drains rather than fuels the U.S. economy.

Inflicting more war on Afghanistan has involved the killing of thousands of civilians. Experts in the U.S., British, and Afghan governments agree that this is making us less safe, not protecting us.   


President Obama is trying to negotiate an agreement with corrupt lame-duck President Hamid Karzai to keep some U.S. troops in Afghanistan indefinitely, with immunity from prosecution for crimes and the right to continue attacking Afghans including with raids on their homes at night. This could mean nine major U.S. military bases remaining in Afghanistan at a huge cost in dollars, lives, safety, and environmental destruction for decades to come."


From the BBC:

"President Hamid Karzai has criticised Nato for failing to bring stability to Afghanistan in over a decade there.

"On the security front the entire Nato exercise was one that caused Afghanistan a lot of suffering, a lot of loss of life, and no gains because the country is not secure," he said.

He said Nato had incorrectly focused the fight on Afghan villages rather than Taliban safe havens in Pakistan.

Mr Karzai has just six months remaining in office until a successor is elected.

"I am not happy to say that there is partial security. That's not what we are seeking. What we wanted was absolute security and a clear-cut war against terrorism," Mr Karzai said of the Nato campaign."






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