[pjw] FACTS: Syria after 9 years, Afghanistan after 22 of US warfare

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello again

I managed to get the fact sheet posted on the website, you can find it at
https://www.pjw.info/afghan22ylfacts.pdf

Below is the text of the fact sheet.

Feel free to share widely!

(I'll be sending a separate email about this month's meeting being on the 
17th rather than the usual which would be the 10th, as noted in the 
footer of the fact sheet.)

dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

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US Bombs and Troops Still in Syria, Nine Years Later...
After 22 Years, USA Mostly Gone from Afghanistan
September 29, 2023

On September 23, 2014, the US began bombing Syria ostensibly to fight the 
Islamic State (ISIS). This date was very close to the thirteenth 
anniversary of when the US invaded Afghanistan following 9/11 on October 
7, 2001. While there are no US troops in Afghanistan any more, America 
keeps an "over-the-horizon" presence, claiming the right to interfere 
militarily at its discretion. The US exercised its self-proclaimed right 
to bomb Afghanistan in July, 2022, when a drone used a missile armed with 
knives to kill an alleged Al Qaeda leader in Kabul (PCMag, August 2, 
2022). In Syria, roughly 1000 US troops are stationed in at least 24 
military sites in a country that did not invite American presence (New 
Arab, May 24). US warfare in Syria has led to a number of near-direct 
confrontations with Russia, such as a series of six incidents in July 
where Russian fighter jets struck US drones (Associated Press, July 26).

America also continues to hold about $7 billion of Afghan assets in its 
banks and refuses to turn the funds over, despite widespread hunger and 
poverty racking the nation's people (PBS, August 15).

The US Continues Its Presence in Syria without Authorization

By continuing its presence in Syria without Congressional or UN 
Authorization, the US is engaged in illegal warfare. Syria has objected to 
the US presence including at the United Nations in September, 2022. But 
the UN takes no action against the 800-pound gorilla which also launched a 
war in Iraq based on fraudulent evidence, and continues to conduct 
airstrikes in Somalia and Yemen. In addition, response to the massive 
earthquake that hit Syria early in 2023 was delayed due to US sanctions 
(Middle East Eye, July 26).

America has been killing people in Syria, with a helicopter raid targeting 
an alleged ISIS leader as recently as April (Associated Press, April 17). 
In June, 22 US troops were injured in a "helicopter mishap," underscoring 
the question of why they are there in the first place (US Central Command, 
June 12).

The US military bases in Syria are explicitly there to protect access to 
oil, though another stated goal is to suppress "terrorism." The Syrian 
government considers the mostly Kurdish militias supported by the US to be 
terrorists, which goes to show how that word ultimately has no meaning. In 
fact, some of the militants funded and trained by the US are now fighting 
one another instead of the central Syrian government (The Cradle, 
September 2). The US has also put sanctions on one such Syrian group and 
another based in Turkey (Responsible Statecraft, August 22).

As a side note, Israel has also bombed Syria hundreds of times, frequently 
targeting its airports and other infrastructure and killing soldiers and 
others (Agence France Presse, August 28).

Syria has been engaged in what's categorized as a civil war since 2011, 
with proxy fighting supporting the state from Russia and Iran, Turkish 
military incursions by land and air against Kurdish militants, and 
interference by the US and its allies. The people of Syria need diplomacy 
and assistance, not bombs.

The Afghan War, 22 Years Later

On October 7, 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 
attacks in New York and Washington DC. Although US troops were withdrawn 
in August, 2021, America's war has continued militarily, diplomatically 
and economically. Even when direct diplomatic negotiations occur between 
the Taliban government of Afghanistan and US officials, the takeaway is 
starkly different. The US gives strong lectures about human rights 
concerns, and the Afghans express that they need the country's own money 
which is being held in US banks to stave off the worsening humanitarian 
situation there (Reuters, July 31).

One remnant of the Afghan war which has not been resolved is the continued 
operation of the prison camp at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 
After a detainee was released in April, only 30 people remain there, many 
of whom have also been cleared for release (The Hill, April 20). Only a 
few of the original 770+ inmates have been convicted of any crime. In 
September, lawyers filed suit on behalf of a detainee against 
psychologists who designed the torture program at Guantanamo (Middle East 
Eye, September 20).

Also, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was 
intended to target Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, remains in place. Among other 
international military actions, it has been used to justify US attacks on 
Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. A separate 2002 AUMF allowing the 
American assault on Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq remains on the books, 
despite several congressional efforts to repeal it. The Senate voted 66-30 
to repeal the AUMF in March, 2023, for instance (NPR, March 29).

The wars that began in 2001 are estimated to have killed over 7000 
Americans and at least 940,000 people in or from other countries including 
432,000 civilians. The financial cost to the US including weaponry, 
military personnel, veteran care and the broad spying infrastructure set 
up in the wake of 9/11 is estimated at over $8 trillion (Brown University 
Costs of War project, August 2023).

One reason the US remains so invested in Afghanistan: there are an 
estimated $1 trillion in minerals under Afghan soil, including lithium 
needed for electric car batteries. China has expressed an interest in 
these resources (Washington Post, July 20). At this time the US has 
pivoted much of its interest from the Middle East to confronting China and 
Russia (Middle East Eye, March 23).

But Wait, There's More

The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 has kept that country in turmoil ever 
since. Iraq was without a fully functioning government from October 2021 
to October 2022. In 2017, the US launched massive airstrikes to wrest 
control of parts of Iraq from the Islamic state, destroying much of the 
City of Mosul. Since then, while most US troops were withdrawn, 2500 
troops remain (Reuters, March 7).

America also continues to bomb Somalia, with somewhere between 13 and 40 
such strikes in 2023 alone (Airwars.com, retrieved on September 24). These 
attacks also allegedly target "terrorists" but often result in multiple 
civilian casualties.

US airstrikes in Yemen seem to have slowed down, with only one strike this 
year reported on June 22, and four others suspected to be US-led. There 
have been over 180 such actions since 2017 (Airwars, June 22). Despite 
previous Congressional efforts to get the US to end its military 
involvement in the war between Yemeni rebels and Saudi Arabia supporting 
the officially recognized government, the country remains in conflict. 
Fortunately, the fighting has been much less intense since a ceasefire 
deal in 2022.

The US also continues to send mixed messages to Iran after President Trump 
withdrew from the "nuclear deal" in 2018. A deal was enacted in September 
to release five Americans held captive in Iran for five Iranians 
imprisoned in the US. As part of that deal, the US agreed to ensure $6 
billion of Iran's own money would be transferred to Qatar so Iran could 
use the money for humanitarian aid (Reuters, September 11). Yet almost 
immediately, the US also imposed more sanctions on Iran (CNN, September 
15). The US continues to support Israel, which also favors an attack on 
Iran, despite Israel's ongoing illegal occupation and repeated bombardment 
of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The US and Israel are planning 
joint military operations to simulate an attack on Iran (Times of Israel, 
August 30).

How Do You Want Your Tax Dollars Sent?

At the time this fact sheet was published, the US was on the brink of 
another government shutdown. The House and Senate mostly agree that they 
want to spend $886 billion on the military, their disagreements have to do 
with whether those funds can be used for certain socially progressive 
programs. Congress is prepared to exempt the military when all other 
government workers stop receiving paychecks (Military Times, September 
22). Meanwhile, the US has already approved or sent over $113 billion to 
Ukraine since February 2022 (CNN, September 21), which is nearly twice 
Russia's annual military budget. Meanwhile in America, millions of people 
go without health care, housing, education and other basic human needs. 
Climate change wreaks havoc on the planet, with the US being excluded from 
speaking at a UN conference for not being serious enough about preventing 
disaster (Reuters, September 19). Despite President Biden's strong 
rhetoric condemning Russia for its invasion and occupation of part of 
Ukraine, there has been no acknowledgment that many of America's military 
adventures-- including its presence in Syria, and its invasions of Iraq 
and Afghanistan-- also violate international law.

It is far past time to cut military spending, bring the troops home, and 
stop attacking, threatening and interfering in other countries!


This flyer was prepared in September, 2023 by the
Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065
iraq at pjw.info
https://www.pjw.info/Iraq.html
Contact us about our meetings !
Meetings usually 2nd or 3rd Tuesdays, 7 PM; next one is Oct. 17.