A Tragic Milestone: 2000 U.S. Military Dead in Afghanistan;
Twin Cities’ anti-war coalition issues statement: End the War in Afghanistan Now!
2000 dead in 11 years of war: Anti-war coalition plans protest of U.S. war in Afghanistan
News reports on Sunday, September 30 confirm yet another tragic milestone in the U.S. war in Afghanistan has passed: the 2000th U.S. military death.
The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) issued a statement that says in part, “The sad news today that of the 2000th U.S. military death in Afghanistan highlights the fact that the war in Afghanistan is continuing with an ever-growing number of military and civilian victims.”
The statement also announced plans for an anti-war march and rally to be held in Minneapolis on Sunday, October 7, which will be part of a national weekend of anti-war actions to mark 11 years since the start of the war.
“The majority of people of Afghanistan want all foreign troops out of their country. The explosion of so-called ‘green on blue’ attacks demonstrates that the presence of occupation forces can only lead to more war,” the statement said.
“Despite claims that the U.S. in winding down the war in Afghanistan, 68,000 U.S. troops remain. While the U.S. government talks about withdrawal by the end of 2014, there are plans to leave thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan until perhaps 2024.”
The statement continues, “How many U.S. soldiers and Afghans must lose their lives before our government finally admits that the war is wrong and it is time to bring the troops home?”
The MPAC statement concludes, “The war has produced a horrendous human cost of dead and injured, but a huge financial cost as well. Each dollar that is spent on the war is a dollar that is not spent on human needs such ashousing, healthcare and the environment.”
The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition has initiated plans for the October 7th protest. The event will gather at 1:00 pm at Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. At 1:30 pm, there will be a march to Loring Park for a closing rally.
The weekend of October 5-7 will see protests, vigils and other events in cities across the U.S. to mark 11 years of war with a call for an end to the war.
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