Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of peace, anti-war, faith-based, student and other groups will hold an anti-war protest in Minneapolis on Friday, October 5 to mark 17 years since the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

The protest is organized under the call of “Stop the U.S. War in Afghanistan – Say NO to Endless War. Stop Endless U.S. Wars.”

The event will start on Friday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in front of the offices of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, 1200 South Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis protest is organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan is the longest foreign war in U.S. history. A statement issued by organizers points out that “In just a few years’ time, the U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan may well have been born after the war started.”

The statement issued by organizers goes on to say, “After 17 years at war in Afghanistan the U.S. is now escalating the level of U.S. involvement once again, with thousands of additional troops having been sent over the last year and an increase in U.S. air strikes.”

The statement continues, “The U.S. military is at war in Afghanistan today, but it is also in combat using U.S. troops, air strikes and drones in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere.

“U.S. intervention, wars, air strikes and drone attacks, will do nothing to fight terrorism, or to make the word safer. The U.S. war machine does not intervene to protect people or to fight terrorism, but to serve U.S. economic interests,” the statement concludes.

The Minneapolis protest will also call for funds to be redirected from war and intervention around the world to meet human needs, jobs, housing and hurricane relief.

The MPAC coalition brings together representatives of several local organizations to plan anti-war activities.

Plans will also be announced at the protest for a march and rally in Minneapolis on Sunday, October 21 to be held in solidarity with the Women's March on the Pentagon, which will call for an end to endless U.S. wars.

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