Mar 24, 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.]
- Security deteriorating in Afghanistan: "Life for ordinary Afghans has become untenable, the Red Cross said on Tuesday, with security seriously deteriorating in the first two months of the year due to a surge in Taliban attacks and accidental NATO strikes on civilians."
- Ending The Afghan War Would Save Taxpayers 40,000 Times More Money Than Defunding NPR: "Conservatives claim that defunding NPR would save taxpayers a great deal of money. Yet NPR receives only around 2 percent of its annual $161 million budget from federal grants, totaling approximately $3.2 million. Meanwhile, the FY2011 cost of the Afghan war has hit $113 billion."
- U.S. Army apologizes for photos of soldiers with Afghan body: "Afghan civilian deaths at the hands of foreign forces is a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan. These photographs are purported to have been taken by a 'rogue' U.S. army unit in Afghanistan in 2010."
- Afghan soldiers will take responsibility for securing seven areas, though questions remain about their readiness: "Afghan forces will take the lead for securing seven areas of the country, relegating NATO forces to a 'supporting' role, according to a plan unveiled by Afghan president Hamid Karzai."
- Listen to this story from NPR: With Spring Comes Fighting Season In Afghanistan
Hannah Lythe is policy and outreach associate at Sojourners.
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