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Last Updated on May 12, 2021.

WASHINGTON — Win Without War Executive Director Stephen Miles released the following statement regarding reports of a decision by President Biden to withdraw U.S. forces in full from Afghanistan:

“If today’s reports are true, President Biden is doing the right thing and taking a big step towards ending our nation’s endless wars. 

“For twenty long years, the United States has waged endless, fruitless, and destructive war in Afghanistan. With today’s decision, President Biden recognizes what the people of the United States and Afghanistan have long known: we simply cannot bomb our way to peace.

“We commend the Biden administration for their reported decision, but we also recognize that this did not come from the top alone. This is the result of decades of grassroots pressure fighting to end endless war and put peace first.

“This decision must just be the beginning, not the end, of a total rethinking of the U.S. approach to conflict. Combat troops must not simply be replaced with different military tactics: covert operations, private contractors, or drone warfare. After four decades of violence going back to U.S. support for the mujahideen, through our two decades of occupation, we owe it to the Afghan people to support their struggle for peace. That means committing to long-term, bilateral and multilateral efforts to address local drivers of conflict through reconciliation, peacebuilding, and development, and ensuring justice and accountability for those harmed by our policies.

“The tides are shifting. Now, we must seize on this momentum to end the era of endless war for good.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.

April 13, 2021