On this day 16 years ago, less than one month after 9/11, President George W. Bush delivered a televised address from the White House announcing the beginning of the Afghanistan War.
“On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes
against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of
the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,” he said.
What Bush did not say was the fact that the War in Afghanistan would
become the longest war in United States history. Thousands of American
lives and billions of taxpayer dollars would be wasted at the expense of
the U.S. war machine, and the “War on Terrorism” would only create more
terrorism as a result.
Over 31,000 civilian deaths have
been documented in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion. It should
be noted that over the last few years, civilian deaths
have substantially increased—which serves as a reminder that the
situation is only getting worse.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began
documenting civilian casualties in 2009. The combined number of
civilians who were killed and injured that year was nearly 6,000. The
number has steadily increased over the years, and in 2016, it reached a record high with nearly 3,500 killed and nearly 8,000 injured.
