Afghanistan: Why the Longest War Must Be A Campaign Issue

FEATURING MARJORIE COHN – The Afghan capital Kabul was the site of a massive deadly bombing of a wedding over the weekend that killed 63 people. What was supposed to have been a joyful occasion turned into a nightmare as the Islamic State took credit for the brutal attack. While the bride and groom were spared, many of their family members were not. More than 180 people were injured. At the same time more than 90 people were injured as a result of 10 coordinated bombs in the Eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

The attacks came at the same time as the US is in yet another round of talks with the Taliban over the conditions for some troops to withdraw. The US war in Afghanistan is the longest official war in the nation’s history. Under President Trump that war has not waned and civilian casualties at the hands of the US and its allies have increased. In late July Trump casually remarked to the leader of Pakistan that he could end the Afghan war “in a week,” and that he could jave Afghanistan “wiped off the face of the earth” but did not “want to kill 10 million people.”

Read Marjorie Cohn’s article on Truthout called “Candidates Must Commit to Immediate US Withdrawal From Afghanistan,” HERE.

Marjorie Cohn, professor emerita at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and a writer for Truthout. She recently wrote the piece, “Candidates Must Commit to Immediate US Withdrawal From Afghanistan.”