Minneapolis, MN – Over 60 people joined a Minneapolis protest on Oct. 8, organized under the call of ‘Stop Endless U.S. Wars.’

The protest marked the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.The protest started with participants lining the sidewalks along Lake Street near Hiawatha Avenue, a very busy intersection and stop on a light rail line. The response of those passing by was overwhelmingly positive with several people stopping to join the protest. After close to an hour, participants marched to Walker Community Church for a closing program. Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the Anti-War Committee, one of the endorsing organizations, opened the program by saying, “Reuters reported in 2015 that the war in Afghanistan has so far cost $33,000 per citizen and Time Magazine has called the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ‘the most expensive wars in human history.’ The cost of this war is much more than financial though. In 2009, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported that fully two-thirds of Afghans now suffer from mental health problems from living in a war zone. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 11-20% of vets who served in Iraq have PTSD. In 15 years over 2000 U.S. military personnel have died in the war in Afghanistan. About 104,000 Afghans have died and an additional 41,000 civilians have been injured since 2001.” Aby-Keirstead went to say, “The largest cost though, is that the U.S. war on Afghanistan opened a Pandora’s Box of U.S.-led warfare around the globe – from Iraq, to Libya, to Syria, to increased U.S. support for Israel and Saudia Arabia, to interventions in Mali and Somalia – all under the auspices of the ‘war on terror’” The protest was organized by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

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