The War in Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan, begun October 7, 2001, is already this nation’s longest war and it is escalating. Despite promises of a withdrawal in July 2011, the end does not now seem to be in sight. According to the National Priorities Project, the United States has spent $445 billion on war in Afghanistan and over $100 billion this year alone. Meanwhile, conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse-- particularly for women.

WAND calls for the forthcoming reduction in U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to be significant and sizeable, and executed in an orderly fashion. A drawdown in foreign troops must also be tied to a social compact that provides for long-term, sustainable investment in aid that supports and empowers Afghan women. Please see WAND's Official Position on U.S. Involvement in Afghanistan for more information.

Background Resources:

• 2013 Fact Sheet: Promoting and Protecting Afghan Women's Rights
• A Peace-building Transition Strategy for Afghanistan - A WAND and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies Briefing Paper based on a recent Kroc Institute report
• Watch "Real women. Real Stories. The real Afghanistan." - A WAND and Community Supported Film webinar.
• A letter to the President from six bipartisan House members supporting early withdrawal from Afghanistan with a list of signers as of February 10, 2012
• Video of David Cortright, author of Ending Obama's War: Responsible Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan, speaks at the Clinton School of Public Service
• Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say Afghan war isn’t worth fighting
• Members of Congress Call for Significant and Sizeable Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
• Updated Report: “Afghan Women Speak: Enhancing Security and Human Rights in Afghanistan”
• Thank you to our Afghanistan activists!
• National Priorities Project's Cost of War analysis

Click here to read more resources and posts about the war in Afghanistan on our WAND Education Fund site.