Jun 2, 2011
[Editors' note: As part of Sojourners' campaign to end the war in Afghanistan, we will run a weekly Afghanistan news digest to educate our readers about the latest news and developments related to the war, the U.S. military's strategy, and the people impacted by our decisions. Read more about our campaign at www.sojo.net/afghanistan.]
- House Democrats unite on Afghanistan exit: "It's more angst than outright anger, but House Democrats are showing real unity for the first time in pressuring President Barack Obama on Afghanistan -- with influential moderates now expressing their impatience alongside the anti-war left that drove the early Iraq war debate."
- Taliban behind surge in attacks on western troops and advisers: "Commanders of international troops in Afghanistan are becoming increasingly concerned at the growing number of attacks by members of local security forces on western forces or advisers."
- Cost of war in Afghanistan will be major factor in troop-reduction talks: "Of all the statistics that President Obama's national security team will consider when it debates the size of forthcoming troop reductions in Afghanistan, the most influential number probably will not be how many insurgents have been killed or the amount of territory wrested from the Taliban, according to aides to those who will participate. It will be the cost of the war."
- For the U.S., it's time to get out of Afghanistan: "Although we must remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and must continue our support for the Afghan people, there is simply no justification for the continued deployment of 100,000 American troops in Afghanistan."
- After Combat, the Unexpected Perils of Coming Home: This is the last in a series of articles chronicling the yearlong deployment of the First Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, Afghanistan. The series followed the battalion's part in the surge in northern Afghanistan and the impact of war on individual soldiers and their families back home.
+Participate in Sojourners' campaign to End the War in Afghanistan and Share the Sacrifice. Tell President Obama and Vice President Biden to keep their commitment to start troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2011.
Hannah Lythe is policy and outreach associate at Sojourners.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!