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For Immediate Release
Contact: Phone:,(202) 232-3317,Email:,info@winwithoutwar.org

Coalition Decries Keeping Thousands of US Troops in Afghanistan as a "Tragic, Futile Flip Flop"

President Obama: Not the President Who Ended a War but Who Made War Endless

WASHINGTON

The Win Without War coalition criticized President Obama's decision to reverse course and keep thousands of US troops in Afghanistan, calling the decision a "tragic and futile flip-flop."

"Today's announcement by the President is a tragic and futile flip-flop that will ensure that America's longest war will drag on for years to come," said Win Without War's Advocacy Director, Stephen Miles, following today's announcement that President Obama will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through 2017.

"We have tried fighting our way to peace in Afghanistan for 14 years now. We did not succeed with 100,000 US troops, and we will not succeed with 5,500 troops. Until we fundamentally shift our approach in Afghanistan, we will never see the conflict end.

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"For far too long, American men and women have fought, bled, and died in a fight that has no military solution. The human cost of this war is even greater for the people of Afghanistan. President Obama's announcement comes just days after the U.S. military bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz. The deaths of the doctors, nurses, and patients at the hospital have shocked our collective conscience, yet they are just one example of why U.S. military intervention is not the answer."

"Unfortunately, President Obama has apparently decided that he no longer wants to be the president who ended war, but the president who made war endless."

Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and organizations working for a more peaceful, progressive U.S. foreign policy. We believe that by democratizing U.S. foreign policy and providing progressive alternatives, we can achieve more peaceful, just, and common sense policies that ensure that all people--regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, or economic status--can find and take advantage of opportunity equally and feel secure.