SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A U.S. Army helicopter taking off from Forward Operating Base Shindand, Afghanistan, Oct. 3, 2012. (Photo: DoD/public domain)
Adding More Proof 'War Is Over' Is a Myth, NATO Commander Warns of Inevitable Deaths to Come
'The war in Afghanistan has not ended'
Jan 09, 2015
The public should expect more U.S military casualties in Afghanistan, the top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently warned, in the latest sign that, despite U.S. claims, the war is not actually over.
"All of us as commanders have reminded our senior leadership ... the war in Afghanistan has not ended, [just] the combat mission for NATO," General Philip Breedlove told Stars and Stripes, according to an article published Thursday.
"It's hard to say, but we are going to continue to have [U.S.] casualties" in Afghanistan, Breedlove continued, according to journalist Carlo Munoz. "It is going to be unavoidable."
Meanwhile, Afghan society continues to pay a steep price for U.S.-led war and occupation of Afghanistan, which has been waged over 13 years and counting.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that 2014 was the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the global body began making such reports in 2009. Civilian casualties overall were up 19 percent from 2013, rising to 33 percent among children, UNAMA reports. These numbers do not include the impact of social upheaval, mass displacement, poverty, and starvation on the Afghan population.
Breedlove's statements come amid fresh revelations that the Obama administration still considers Afghanistan an "area of active hostilities" and therefore has determined that drone reforms ostensibly aimed at reducing civilian deaths do not apply in the country.
Furthermore, they follow numerous Obama administration maneuvers to prolong the war, including the signing of the Bilateral Security agreement with Afghanistan, which extends U.S. presence at least another decade, and the passage of an order authorizing a more expansive U.S. military mission at least through this year.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
The public should expect more U.S military casualties in Afghanistan, the top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently warned, in the latest sign that, despite U.S. claims, the war is not actually over.
"All of us as commanders have reminded our senior leadership ... the war in Afghanistan has not ended, [just] the combat mission for NATO," General Philip Breedlove told Stars and Stripes, according to an article published Thursday.
"It's hard to say, but we are going to continue to have [U.S.] casualties" in Afghanistan, Breedlove continued, according to journalist Carlo Munoz. "It is going to be unavoidable."
Meanwhile, Afghan society continues to pay a steep price for U.S.-led war and occupation of Afghanistan, which has been waged over 13 years and counting.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that 2014 was the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the global body began making such reports in 2009. Civilian casualties overall were up 19 percent from 2013, rising to 33 percent among children, UNAMA reports. These numbers do not include the impact of social upheaval, mass displacement, poverty, and starvation on the Afghan population.
Breedlove's statements come amid fresh revelations that the Obama administration still considers Afghanistan an "area of active hostilities" and therefore has determined that drone reforms ostensibly aimed at reducing civilian deaths do not apply in the country.
Furthermore, they follow numerous Obama administration maneuvers to prolong the war, including the signing of the Bilateral Security agreement with Afghanistan, which extends U.S. presence at least another decade, and the passage of an order authorizing a more expansive U.S. military mission at least through this year.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
The public should expect more U.S military casualties in Afghanistan, the top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently warned, in the latest sign that, despite U.S. claims, the war is not actually over.
"All of us as commanders have reminded our senior leadership ... the war in Afghanistan has not ended, [just] the combat mission for NATO," General Philip Breedlove told Stars and Stripes, according to an article published Thursday.
"It's hard to say, but we are going to continue to have [U.S.] casualties" in Afghanistan, Breedlove continued, according to journalist Carlo Munoz. "It is going to be unavoidable."
Meanwhile, Afghan society continues to pay a steep price for U.S.-led war and occupation of Afghanistan, which has been waged over 13 years and counting.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that 2014 was the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the global body began making such reports in 2009. Civilian casualties overall were up 19 percent from 2013, rising to 33 percent among children, UNAMA reports. These numbers do not include the impact of social upheaval, mass displacement, poverty, and starvation on the Afghan population.
Breedlove's statements come amid fresh revelations that the Obama administration still considers Afghanistan an "area of active hostilities" and therefore has determined that drone reforms ostensibly aimed at reducing civilian deaths do not apply in the country.
Furthermore, they follow numerous Obama administration maneuvers to prolong the war, including the signing of the Bilateral Security agreement with Afghanistan, which extends U.S. presence at least another decade, and the passage of an order authorizing a more expansive U.S. military mission at least through this year.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.