St. Paul, MN – On August 18, representatives from Twin Cities anti-war groups and the local Afghan community gathered at the Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge to hold a press conference on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. The event was part of a weekly peace vigil organized by Women Against Military Madness.

Days earlier, the U.S.-backed Afghan government and Afghan National Army collapsed in the face of a nationwide offensive by resistance forces led by the Taliban, after the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from the country. The Taliban’s quick success effectively brought an end to nearly 20 years of U.S. occupation and returned the group to power for the first time since 2001.

This led to a chaotic situation at Kabul’s international airport, where remnants of U.S. occupation forces violently attacked crowds of Afghan civilians who hoped to flee the country, killing at least five.

Naweed Ahmadzai, a first-generation Afghan American born to parents who were educators during the first Taliban regime, spoke at the Saint Paul press conference. “No one has taken responsibility for the situation Afghanistan is now in, not even the president of the United States. And this was all while there were Afghans literally hanging from the wings of a U.S. plane as it took off, as we all saw. Now this is not on anyone but us. We must hold Joe Biden accountable, Trump accountable, Obama accountable and the ones before accountable,” he said.

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee criticized the U.S. government’s retaliatory seizure of Afghanistan’s foreign holdings, saying, “None of this will help Afghanistan. If anything the U.S. owes Afghanistan reparations for what it’s done. But at the heart of it all is sovereignty and self-determination, two things the U.S. needs to learn how to respect and value before it will ever be able to engage with the world as anything other than a bully and a predator.”

Amina Baha, an Afghan American living in Minneapolis, also spoke and encouraged people to demand support for Afghan refugees, concluding, “Please pray for Afghanistan, show up for Afghanistan, save Afghanistan.”

The press conference announced that on Saturday, August 28 at 4 p.m., the local Afghan community will hold a demonstration at Loring Park in Minneapolis to demand protection for Afghan refugees and for the U.S. to be held accountable for its destructive occupation.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #AfghanistanWar #TwinCitiesAntiWarCommittee

Minneapolis, MN – Over 30 people joined a Minneapolis protest on October 5 to mark 17 years of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

The protest, organized under the call of Stop the U.S. War in Afghanistan, was held in front of the offices of Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

The event was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

Jennie Eisert, a member of the Anti-War Committee, spoke at the rally, saying in part, “Afghanistan, along with Iraq, and the other wars that the U.S. government has endlessly inflicted on the world has shaped an entire generation. A child, born on this date in 2001, is now old enough to fight in Afghanistan and has grown up in an environment without privacy rights, in a time that has ‘normalized’ Islamophobia, hate and endless U.S. wars and occupation.”

Eisert went on to say, “What have been the costs of this endless war and occupation in Afghanistan? The U.S. government and other ‘official’ Western sources admit to at least 32,000 Afghan civilians being killed and another 30,000 being wounded directly related to the U.S. invasion. Another source, The Cost of War Project, more credibly claims that the U.S. invasion is responsible for at least ten times that number of deaths, 360,000 people killed in Afghanistan because of the U.S. invasion.”

Organizers announced plans for a Minneapolis protest to be held Sunday, October 21 in solidarity with the Women's March on the Pentagon.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalitionMPAC

New York, NY – Several dozen protesters gathered in Herald Square on October 7 to mark the invasion of Afghanistan and protest the other wars the U.S. waging abroad. The war on Afghanistan has lasted 17 years.

Spirited protesters rallied and listened to speeches about the damage caused by U.S. imperialism throughout the globe. A large group from the Yemeni American Organization attended. Their speakers highlighted the plight of Yemen, which is currently being attacked by the United States, Saudi Arabia and others.

In between chants of “Out of Afghanistan! Out of Iraq! Out of Syria, don’t come back!” and “U.S. imperialist! Number one terrorist!” organizers handed out flyers that detailed the casualties since 2001 and that the U.S. expended $5.6 trillion on war in 17 years.

Jessica Schwartz, an organizer from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression NY, gave a powerful speech about political repression when organizing against war. In her speech she said, “The United States doesn’t fight terror. In fact, the United States perpetuates and funds terror all around the world!”

Bernadette Ellorin, representing the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, spoke about fighting back against imperialism and how it’s vital to stay organized.

The protesters then marched to the Army Recruiting Station in Times Square. The event ended with a few more speeches as onlookers learned about the U.S. brutal war machine.

#NewYorkNY #NewYorkCityNY #International #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #CommitteeToStopFBIRepressionNYC

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.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalition

On Sunday, October 7, at 3 p.m., various anti-war and international solidarity organizations will be gathering to mark of the 17th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan.

The event, titled “From Afghanistan to Yemen, End the Wars: NY Tour,” will be a rally in Herald Square, including chants and speeches relating to Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Korea and other places around the world being threatened by the U.S.

October 7 is an important date because it is when the U.S invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 in 2001. The U.S. remains there to this day. Since then, the U.S. has been at war with or threatened attacks on Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Korea and many others.

The three slogans of the rally are “End the Wars,” “U.S. Troops and Bases Out” and “Money for Jobs, Education, and Healthcare.”

The action is being co-hosted by Committee to Stop FBI Repression, International Action Center, and International League of Peoples’ Struggle, with many more endorsing and attending. For more information, go to the Facebook event here ( https://www.facebook.com/events/539642079814794/?ti=icl).

#NewYorkNY #NewYorkCityNY #International #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #InternationalActionCenter #InternationalLeagueOfPeoplesStruggle #CommitteeToStopFBIRepressionNYC

Minneapolis, MN – A group of Twin Cities anti-war and peace activists gathered to listen to the Monday, August 21 speech on Afghanistan given by President Trump. In the speech Trump outlined what amounts to a continuation of the war.

A statement by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) said, “The war in Afghanistan is Trump’s war. He has continued the war and now threatens to escalate it.”

The MPAC statement went on to say, “U.S. troops in Afghanistan are an occupying force, the Afghan people will not tolerate a foreign occupation army. As long as the U.S. interferes in affairs of the people of Afghanistan, there will be resistance.”

“The U.S. war in Afghanistan has gone on for almost 16 years. In just a couple of years we will have the spectacle that some of the U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan will have been born after the war started. The people of the U.S. are opposed to the endless series of wars and interventions around the world.”

Stephanie Taylor, a member of the Anti-War Committee said, “This endless war has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and refugees. It has cost taxpayers over $1 trillion. What Donald Trump indicated tonight makes it clear that this war and occupation by the U.S. will continue.”

Taylor went on to say, “The focus of U.S. aggression is on the Muslim peoples of the Middle East – and this has become worse with Donald Trump as commander in chief. The litany of countries across the Middle East and in North Africa that the U.S. is attacking is sickening: Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Palestine, Yemen are all in the cross-hairs of the U.S.”

The MPAC coalition has called for a protest on Saturday, October 7 under the call of “Stop Endless U.S. Wars,” which will mark 16 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #AfghanistanWar #DonaldTrump

The protest is being organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC). MPAC brings together several peace and anti-war groups to organize public actions against U.S. military intervention.

The Minneapolis protest is being organized under the call of: “Stop endless U.S. wars! Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia: End U.S. wars, interventions and drone strikes. Funds for human needs, not war. Say NO to racism and Islamophobia.”

The Oct. 8 protest will gather at 1:00 pm at Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis (look for signs and banners along the sidewalk west of the light rail station). At 1:45 pm, there will be a march of about one mile to Walker Community United Methodist Church, 3104 16th Avenue S in Minneapolis, where a closing program will be held starting at 2:15 p.m.

A statement issued by organizers says, in part, “October will mark 15 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Today, the U.S. is still at war in Afghanistan as well as carrying out ongoing military interventions in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. News reports say that the U.S. military is building a new drone base to expand drone strike operations across Africa.”

The statement goes on to say, “In recent days the Pentagon has announced that 600 more U.S. troops are being sent to Iraq. The endless series of wars just keeps going. The people of the U.S. and the people of the world are no safer after years of war. The U.S. wars must stop. People need jobs, housing and education, not more U.S. war.”

Among the organizations that are helping to building the Saturday protest is Women Against Military Madness.

Marie Braun, a member of WAMM said, “We are urging all opposed to the endless wars to join the Oct. 8 protest. We will mark the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan with a call for an end to these wars.”

The MPAC statement says: “On October 8, with signs, banners and our voices we will say no to endless wars on the anniversary of the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.”

Organizers report that hundreds of leaflets have been distributed in recent weeks for the protest. Many people welcomed the flyers when distributed at a community festival last Saturday in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, a neighborhood with many Somali families.

A range of organizations have endorsed the call for the Oct. 8 protest, including Anti-War Committee, Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Mayday Books, Military Families Speak Out (MN Chapter), Minnesotans Against Islamophobia, St Joan of Arc Peacemakers, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Socialist Action, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace, Walker Community UMC Peace with Justice Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Workers International League and others.

For more information call 612-275-2720 or 612-827-5364

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar

This agreement will lay the basis for continuing the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan.

Plans are being made to leave 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014, when the Obama administration had said all U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan. There will also be several thousand NATO forces left in Afghanistan along with the U.S. troops. There likely will be thousands of “contractors” as well.

There is growing opposition in Afghanistan to the agreement.

Tasnim news agency reported that there was a protest in Kabul, Nov. 18, against the agreement. Tasnim reported, “During the demonstration on Monday, the protesters once again expressed opposition to the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement. The participants also called for the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the country.”

Tasnim reported, “Our Kabul correspondent Fayez Khorshid says public anger is boiling up in Afghanistan over the security pact as people continue to come out in protest of the deal.”

In the city of Jalalabad there was a demonstration on Nov. 17 involving many students against the BSA pact.

NBC News reported, “While many Americans have been led to believe the war in Afghanistan will soon be over, a draft of a key U.S.-Afghan security deal obtained by NBC News shows the U.S. is prepared to maintain military outposts in Afghanistan for many years to come and to pay to support hundreds of thousands of Afghan security forces.”

NBC reported, “The document appears to be the start of a new, open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan…”

After 12 years of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. has been unable to secure its war aims. The massive opposition to the war in the U.S. and the resistance of the Afghan people to more war and occupation is forcing the U.S. to try and maintain its role in Afghanistan in such a way that the opposition can be lessened.

As Time magazine reported in an online article this week, “...there’s always the chance that delaying the departure of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan will simply delay the inevitable.”

The opposition in Afghanistan to the continued presence of foreign forces is so high that the Karzai regime has had negotiations with the U.S. to make an appearance of standing up for Afghan independence.

The Karzai government made a show of insisting that U.S. troops could be prosecuted under Afghan law and saying that U.S. troops could not raid Afghan homes.

A flurry of phone calls between Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry John Kerry in the last few days has seemingly come up with language that gives everyone political cover.

The Karzai government has also called for the holding of a Loya Jirga, a Grand Assembly, that is a traditional Afghan gathering of social leaders to discuss issues of national impotence. Karzai has said that the Loya Jirga will discuss the BSA agreement and decide whether to enact it.

The Wall Street Journal reported, “The Loya Jirga, most of whose delegates were selected by provincial authorities, and whose membership list was approved” by Karzai, “is highly unlikely to do anything against the wishes of the Afghan president.”

The students demonstrating against the BSA agreement in Jalalabad were clear in statements they gave to a reporter from Agence France-Presse about their view of the Loya Jirga called by Karzai: “The people of Afghanistan should not sign this agreement,” Shafiullah, a student who uses only one name, said as demonstrators chanted “Death to the U.S.” 

Another student, Habib-Ul Rahman Arab, accused the delegates, most of them hand-picked by President Hamid Karzai’s administration, of being government supporters. 

“They are not our representatives. They are not representatives of the Afghan people,” he said.

U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued a statement Nov. 20 on the announcement of the BSA language agreement. Lee said in her statement, “This revelation is outrageous. The possibility of a military presence into 2024 is unacceptable. After 13 years and more than $778 billion invested” in Afghanistan and “the corrupt Karzai government, it is time to bring our troops and tax dollars home.”

Alan Dale, a member of the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, said, “All opposed to the war should speak out against this plan to keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. As long as U.S. troops are in Afghanistan the war will continue. The people of Afghanistan must be free to determine their own future.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #AfghanistanWar #USImperialism #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalition #BilateralSecurityAgreement

Minneapolis, MN – To mark 12 years since the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, 50 people joined a Minneapolis anti-war protest on Oct. 5.

The protest was called by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC). MPAC organized the protest under the call of “Say no to war! U.S. troops and drones out of Afghanistan now; no U.S. military intervention in Syria; stop government spying and attacks on civil liberties; people need housing and jobs, not war.”

The protest took place along the sidewalks of the very busy Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street intersection. A large number of people driving by honked their car horns and waved in support of the anti-war message. One participant said the majority of the cars passing had people honking, waving or showing some sign of support.

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “The U.S. has been at war continuously for 12 years: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia. Now the Obama administration is proposing yet another military intervention, this time in Syria. At the same time, plans are being made to leave thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan for years to come. The Oct. 5 protest marks 12 years of war with a call for an end to U.S. wars and interventions.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead , a member of the Anti-War Committee spoke at the demonstration. She said, “President Obama keeps promising to the American people that the war in Afghanistan is winding down...with Afghanistan making an agreement that would continue a strong U.S. presence but also gives them immunity for their war crimes – including for drone attacks and night raids. Does that sound like an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan? No.”

The Oct. 5 Minneapolis protest was endorsed by AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Libertarian Party, Mayday Books, Military Families Speak Out (MN chapter), Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, Minnesota Cuba Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition, Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign, Peace and Justice Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic Church (St. Paul), Socialist Action, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans For Peace (Chapter 27), Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness and the Workers International League.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #MinneapolisAntiwarMovement #AfghanistanWar #Anniversary

Minneapolis, MN – Holding signs and banners, around 50 people joined an anti-war protest here, Oct. 11, in front of the office of Senator Klobuchar. The protest, organized by the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, coincided with the week of the 11th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan.

In addition to demanding an end to the occupation of Afghanistan, protesters demanded, “Money for human needs, not war,” and for no wars with Syria or Iran.

Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee told the crowd that, before the protest, a delegation of peace activists met with Senator Klobuchar's representatives and they said the senator supports the sanctions on Iran, is not opposed to more U.S. intervention with Syria, and is against an immediate end to the occupation of Afghanistan. “She is no friend of the anti-war movement,” said Sundin.

Long time peace activist Marie Braun said that the sanctions on Iran are a form of warfare, and stated, “Let us raise our voices together and say no to sanctions, no to war.”

Brad Sigal, of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression talked about the need to build a strong anti-war movement and the need to push back against the FBI and grand jury attacks on anti-war and international solidarity activists.

Sarah Martin, one of the anti-war activists who was subpoenaed to a grand jury shortly after Sept. 24, 2010, announced that the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression will hold a protest Oct. 25 at 4:30 pm, in front of the Federal Court House in downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for the Holy Land 5.

The protest at Klobuchar's office was endorsed by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Joe Callahan Defense Committee, Military Families Speak Out, MN Peace Action Coalition, Socialist Action, U of M Students for a Democratic Society, the Welfare Rights Committee, and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement