[Peace-discuss] Fw: Congress Should Require an Exit Strategy from Afghanistan

[Jenifer Cartwright]

Another petition for you to sign...
 

--- On Mon, 6/22/09, Robert Naiman, Just Foreign Policy <info at justforeignpolicy.org> wrote:

 



 

Dear Jenifer,

In March, President Obama said we must have an "exit strategy" in Afghanistan. [1]

More than 80 Members of Congress agree: they're supporting a bill which would require the Pentagon to submit a report to Congress saying what the U.S. exit strategy is by the end of the year. This week, supporters of an exit strategy from Afghanistan will try to attach this language to the 2010 military authorization bill. 

Can you urge your Representative in Congress to support  an exit strategy from Afghanistan?

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/exit

Members of Congress are saying that the U.S. should have an exit strategy; they're also saying that Congress and the American people should be told what it is.

Last week, Congress approved another war supplemental, bringing total spending for the Afghanistan war to $223 billion.[3] More than 700 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.[4] The new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has acknowledged to Congress that U.S. casualties will likely rise. [5]

Afghan civilian casualties from U.S. air strikes are expected to rise as well. Earlier this year an ABC poll reported that nearly four-fifths of Afghans say U.S. air strikes are unacceptable, while less than one in five wanted the U.S. to send more troops. [6]

Military commanders have made statements indicating that the Pentagon intends to remain in Afghanistan until at least the year 2020. [7.] If the Pentagon is planning for 10 more years of war in Afghanistan, there should be a vigorous public debate about that.

Urge your Representative to support efforts to require the Pentagon to submit to Congress an exit strategy from Afghanistan.

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/exit

Thanks for all you do for a just foreign policy,

Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy

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References:

1) "Obama: U.S. must have 'exit strategy' in Afghanistan," Reuters, March 22. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE52L1NW20090323?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews

2) "H.R. 2404: To require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress outlining the United States exit strategy for United States military forces in Afghanistan participating in Operation Enduring Freedom," May 14, 2009, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2404:

3) "Congress advances $106 billion war-funding bill," Jim Abrams, Associated Press, June 17. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-06-17-war-funding-bill_N.htm

4) "iCasualties.org: Operation Enduring Freedom," http://icasualties.org/oef/.

5) "McChrystal warns of greater casualties in Afghanistan," Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2009. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mcchrystal3-2009jun03,0,5699573.story

6) "Support for U.S. Efforts Plummets Amid Afghanistan's Ongoing Strife," ABC News, Feb. 9, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1083a1Afghanistan2009.pdf

7) "NATO Base In Afghanistan Gets Major Expansion," Ivan Watson, NPR, July 11, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92427328


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