Stein Blasts Obama’s Halt to Afghanistan Withdrawal. Says Pullout Is Long Overdue
October 15th, Dallas, Texas
Jill Stein, who is seeking the Green Party nomination for President, criticized the decision today by President Obama to halt the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and maintain a military presence.
Stein said it was long past time for the United States to withdraw from Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires over the centuries.
“For four decades, starting with the Carter administration, the United States has worked to impose its will on the nation of Afghanistan, inflicting death and incredible misery upon millions of innocent civilians. The United States government has wasted tens of billions of dollars propping up a series of unsavory regimes sustained by brutality and corruption. The real beneficiaries from U.S. interference are the warlords, drug dealers, terrorists, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and a host of petty, crooked politicians,” noted Stein. It is time for the longest war in U.S. history to end.
It was the United States interference that led to the terrorists training camps from which the U.S. government believes that the 9/11 attacks were planned.
“Militarized U.S. foreign policy has not and will never create a stable society in Afghanistan. To the contrary. Our continued military presence destabilizes Afghanistan. The United States should apologize to the people of Afghanistan, agree to pay to help repair the damage we have done, and leave,” added Stein.
Stein said she realizes that the withdrawal of the U.S. would not lead to the immediate end of violence in Afghanistan. But she said “The violence will never end as long as the U.S. is there. Military domination is a failed policy. We need to support the people of Afghanistan and organizations of civil society in deciding for themselves how to rebuild their country. We can become a positive factor in Afghanistan, but for that to happen a real withdrawal must be expedited.”