British withdrawal from Afghanistan. Letter in todays Echo - Vietnam veteran and US Senator John Kerry asked at the end of the Vietnam war in 1971: “How do you ask a man to be the last one to die for a mistake?” Politicians who led us into more than a decade of disaster in Afghanistan must now be held to account: they lied, people died. Politicians said it was about defeating the Taliban, but we leave with the Taliban as strong as ever, with the Afghan army reporting their soldiers slain at a rate of 11 a day with 4,000 already killed this year. Politicians said it was about nation building, but the most recent UN Development Report regards Afghanistan as an economic disaster stating, “After decades of war and political instability, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.” Politicians said it was about transforming women’s lives, yet leading development agencies have judged Afghanistan the most dangerous country in the world for women. Politicians said it was about stopping the opium trade, yet the drug problem is worse than it has ever been and appears to be worsening. Politicians said it was about stopping terrorism and making the world a safer place, yet the result of their wars is more terrorism and a less safe world. The war may now be over for politicians, but for the families of the 453 British soldiers and over 50,000 Afghan civilians who died it may never be over. It’s time to end all the wars, and bring the troops home. Adam Johannes Secretary, Cardiff Stop the War Coalition
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 12:03:17 +0000
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