Tell Congress to rethink Afghanistan

Where are the voices in Congress questioning a military approach in Afghanistan?

A group of Afghan parliamentarians have formed a working group to block the military escalation President Obama approved for Afghanistan. After seeing their people lose their lives, homes, loved ones, and livelihoods, they are demanding an end to violence. Who is speaking for them in the US Congress?

The voices of people in the US and Afghanistan who oppose a military approach are being marginalized in the public debate. For more than seven years, the military approach has failed to bring stability to Afghanistan. To date, al Qaeda has been involved in more terrorist attacks in the six years following the invasion of Afghanistan than it had been in the six years before, even if we don’t count attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The cost of the military approach to Afghans has been unimaginable. The American public does not see the faces of fathers who lose their sons, of wives who can’t feed their families after the death of their husbands, of children without homes. It is up to those of us who understand the tragedy of this mistake to bear witness and hold our government accountable.

That is why Peace Action West is partnering with Brave New Foundation in calling for committee chairs Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Howard Berman to hold intensive congressional oversight hearings, with a full exploration of non-military solutions that are more likely to make Americans and Afghans safer.

Become an Afghanistan Witness and tell Congress you will not allow them to ignore the truth about Afghanistan. Click here to join the call for real oversight and accountability.

As an Afghanistan Witness, you’ll be the first to hear about breaking news and urgent actions when your help will make a difference. You’ll help raise awareness of alternatives to military force that are actually more effective at stopping terrorism. Every voice of opposition is critical right now, and you will help us create a debate when the media and Congress fail to do so.

You and I were there pointing out the failures of a military strategy in Iraq before our government was ready to admit it. We finally saw the beginning of the end of the war in Iraq with President Obama’s announcement of his withdrawal plan, and that wouldn’t have happened without our tireless efforts. Now we must apply the same tenacity and passion to opposing the occupation of Afghanistan