[pjw] EVENT REMINDER: "The Afghan Invasion 15 Years Later" Rally/March Fri 10/7 5 PM

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi!
Just a reminder that tomorrow night (October 7) at 5 PM we will be marking 
the ignoble 15th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan. I've added a new 
piece of information into the news release (below) about the costs of the 
wars since 2001.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

Peace and Justice Works
   Iraq Affinity Group
   PO Box 42456
   Portland, OR   97242
   (503) 236-3065  (Office)
   iraq at pjw.info
   http://www.pjw.info/Iraq.html

EVENT: "The Afghan Invasion 15 Years Later" Rally/March Fri 10/7 5 PM

"The Afghan Invasion 15 Years Later"
Rally/March for Peace and Justice
*Friday, October 7*
5:00 PM
Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW Yamhill and Broadway

Even though the government of Afghanistan had nothing directly to do with 
9/11, the US began bombing the impoverished nation less than a month 
afterward. The war has never ended, with ongoing US military operations 
including airstrikes and drone raids, and a promised withdrawal of troops 
that has been scaled back and cancelled. On Friday, October 7, 2016 Peace 
and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group is co-sponsoring the weekly Portland 
Peaceful Response Coalition Friday rally at 5 PM at Pioneer Courthouse 
Square (SW Yamhill and Broadway) to demand an and to US military 
intervention in a rally titled "The Afghan Invasion 15 Years Later."

The war on Afghanistan was just the first of 7 now ongoing post-9/11 wars by 
the US (with the others being in Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and 
Syria). It was launched without a specific UN mandate. Afghanistan has been 
racked by violence for over 35 years beginning with the US and Soviet Union 
fighting for control from 1979 to 1989. Osama Bin Laden was a product of US 
efforts funding "Mujahideen" to fight the USSR. Although a new Afghan 
government was installed by the US, the Taliban and others have initiated 
guerilla attacks against international forces and the new regime. In 2009-10, 
President Obama increased the number of troops from 34,000 at the end of the 
Bush era to over 100,000. While Obama pledged to remove all combat troops by 
the end of 2016, about 9000 are still there-- with 29,000 "contractors" 
supporting them (Military Times 8/17).

It is unknown how many Afghan civilians have died as a result of the invasion, 
but 1601 civilians were killed just in the first 6 months of 2016, with a more 
than 100% increase in deaths by airstrikes (The Hill 7/25). As of September 8, 
2384 US troops and over 1000 from other countries had died in Afghanistan 
(icasualties.org).

A September study from the Watson Institute at Brown University estimates
      * The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and other overseas
      operations already cost $1.7 trillion between 2001 and August 2016
      with $103 billion more requested for 2017.
If estimates the overall costs including veterans benefits interest and 
Homeland Security at $4.79 trillion. (The Intercept, 9/14).

Because the war in Afghanistan has now lasted 15 years, it is from an official 
standpoint the longest running US war in history.*

PPRC has held weekly rallies for peace every week since early November 2001 
shortly after the invasion of Afghanistan. For more information contact Peace 
and Justice Works at 503-236-3065 or iraq at pjw.info.

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PJW also rallied against the third Iraq war on August 6, 15 years of endless 
wars since 9/11 on September 9, and two years of war on Syria on September 23.


* Arguably US military intervention in Iraq, which began in 1991 and has never 
really ended, has gone on longer.