Statement from Black Alliance for Peace, June 25, 2021
Slightly out of date, but right-on in it’s assertions. [jb]
JUNE 25, 2021—As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani makes his rounds this week in Washington, the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) opposes any effort to prolong the U.S. war on the Afghan people, including efforts to keep the United States engaged in any form in Afghanistan.
While Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby has insisted withdrawal plans for September 11 remain unchanged, BAP doubts the sincerity of a full U.S. disengagement. Evidence indicates talks will prominently center around the likely collapse of the government in Kabul, the continued operation of U.S. special forces and mercenaries (or contractors) in Afghanistan, as well as U.S.-pledged support for Turkish military defense of Kabul International Airport, a site that has continued to be a major U.S. military stronghold to support its imperial presence. This, of course, would violate the U.S.-Taliban agreement the Taliban and the Trump administration signed in February 2020.
Based on the evidence, BAP believes points of discussion between Ghani and U.S. President Joe Biden will include reassurance of increased material and mercenary support for the Afghan security forces—still heavily dependent on the United States and now rapidly losing ground to Taliban forces—and facilitating evacuation for translators who worked for the U.S./NATO militaries.
The Biden administration publicly has stated that during the meeting with Ghani, it intends to “highlight the enduring partnership between the [United States] and Afghanistan” and its commitment to the Afghan government, which the United States has spent billions of dollars to support. But privately, many in the U.S. ruling class are anticipating the U.S.-backed government’s eventual collapse, possibly as soon as the end of the year.
In April, BAP criticized Biden for extending the troop withdrawal date from the agreed-upon May 1 to September 11. As BAP has previously stated, choosing the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as the official withdrawal date perpetuates the false claim that the Taliban government was involved in the 9/11 attacks.
In the two decades of U.S.-led war on Afghanistan, well over 100,000 Afghans have died, with over 47,000 of them civilians. BAP continues to demand that the United States and NATO remove all foreign troops and mercenary contractors, and end all aggression against and interference in Afghanistan, in adherence with the initial 2020 Doha agreement and the principles of sovereignty as outlined in the UN Charter and international law. We also continue to call on the United States to respect the human rights of the Afghan people and the rights of all colonized people the world over, including inside its borders.
*Featured Image: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst