The September 4 oil tanker bombings in Kunduz province, in which the September 5 Pajhwok Afghan News said as many as 150 civilians were killed, is just the latest in a constant stream of atrocities against civilians committed by the occupying forces.
This, combined with the increasingly blatant fact that the forces kept in power by the occupation troops are just as brutal and misogynist as the Taliban, which the US and NATO ousted, means the true nature of the Afghan war as an imperial power play is increasingly obvious.
A CNN Opinion Research poll conducted between August 28 and 31 found that 57% of US people were opposed to the war, and 40% believe it can’t be won.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 51% of US people thought the war was not worth fighting for., the Post said on August 20.
The poll of 1000 people, found that only 24% supported sending more troops to Afghanistan.
A September 4 Melbourne Age article said recent Gallup polls showed 42% of US people now think it was a mistake to send troops to Afghanistan in the first place.
Similar figures have been registered in Australia and other countries with soldiers in Afghanistan.
An March Age/Nielson poll found that 51% of Australians oppose our involvement in the war and two thirds opposed an increase in troops.
An Independent Newspaper poll in August found that 52% of people in Britain want troops out and 58% think “the offensive is a lost cause”.
An Ifop/Le Figaro poll conducted between August 10-18 found that 64% in France oppose their country’s military intervention in Afghanistan, an August 24 Angus-reid.org article said.
One country likely to feel immediate ramifications from its involvement in Afghanistan is Germany, which has parliamentary elections in September.
In July, a poll by the German public broadcaster ARD found that 69% wanted troops to leave as soon as possible.
Chancellor Angela Merkell has been forced to admit the air strike on the two oil tankers, called in by a German commander, had killed civilians.
Initially, defence minister Franz Josef Jung refused to admit any civilians were killed, but Merkell later called for a “quick, complete and open” inquiry by NATO, the September 8 Age said.
The left-wing party, Die Linke, has seen its support increase by four points to 14% in the latest poll from Forsa for Stern magazine, Reuters said on September 9.
Die Linke is the only party to call for the withdrawal of Germany’s contingent of 4200 troops from Afghanistan.
Die Linke also called for Jung’s resignation after his comments and have called rallies in Berlin in response to the recent bombings.
The failure of troop increases this year to have any impact is also generating significant opposition in Britain.
In July, Britain launched Operation Panther’s Claw in order to provide “security” to allow the 80,000 people in the Babaji area the “freedom” to vote in the elections. In a sign of broader military failures in the country, only 150 people turned up to vote, equalling the number of British troops killed or wounded in that period, the September 8 Age said.
In response, Eric Joyce, the parliamentary aid to the British defence secretary, resigned on September 3.
In his resignation letter, Joyce said: “I do not think the public will accept for much longer that our losses can be justified by simply referring to the risk of greater terrorism on our streets.”
Similar fractures are appearing in the US, with many questioning why Obama, who was elected on a seemingly anti-war platform, is extending Bush’s war.
Democrat congressperson Jim McGovern moved a motion in July demanding an exit strategy from the war, which was supported by a majority of Democrats, despite opposition from the White House.
McGovern has indicated that he will introduce legislation to congress to block any further troop increases, the September 6 Age said.
An August 31 Yahoo News article reported that former CIA official and advisor to Bill Clinton, Bruce Riedel, said: “If the Government of Afghanistan goes into free fall — something like the South Vietnamese Government of the 1960s — then all the troops in the world aren’t going to matter.”
With increasing public opposition to the war, British Stop the War Coalition has called a national march to demand troops out of Afghanistan on October 24.
In the US, a national day of action, themed “Change ≠ War!” to protest Obama’s war policies has been called by United for Peace and Justice for October 7 and mark the eight anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan.
A number of US anti-war organisations are also supporting national anti-war actions on October 17, calling for “Troops Home Now”.
This date also marks the date when Congress passed the “Iraq War Resolution” allowing Bush to invade Iraq.
In Australia activists are organising actions to commemorate the anniversary and call for troops out.
The Sydney Stop the War Coalition is organising a demonstration for October 8. The rally already has support from the NSW Greens, the Fire Brigade Employees, the Maritime Union of Australia (NSW Branch) and the Socialist Alliance. The rally will start at 5.30pm and march to the defence department.
In Melbourne, anti-war activists are planning a rally for October 10. The rally will start at noon at City Square and march to Victoria Army Barracks.
Peace and Justice Post 
Disgrace in The Hague
September 18, 2009Gideon Levy, Haaretz/Israel, Sept 17, 2009
There’s a name on every bullet, and there’s someone responsible for every crime. The Teflon cloak Israel has wrapped around itself since Operation Cast Lead has been ripped off, once and for all, and now the difficult questions must be faced. It has become superfluous to ask whether war crimes were committed in Gaza, because authoritative and clear-cut answers have already been given. So the follow-up question has to be addressed: Who’s to blame? If war crimes were committed in Gaza, it follows that there are war criminals at large among us. They must be held accountable and punished. This is the harsh conclusion to be drawn from the detailed United Nations report.
For almost a year, Israel has been trying to argue that the blood spilled in Gaza was merely water. One report followed the other, with horrifyingly identical results: siege, white phosphorous, harm of innocent civilians, infrastructure destroyed – war crimes in each and every report. Now, after the publication of the most important and damning report of all, compiled by the commission led by Judge Richard Goldstone, Israel’s attempts to discredit them look ludicrous, and the empty bluster of its spokespersons sound pathIsatic.
So far they have focused on the messengers, not their messages: the researcher for Human Rights Watch collects Nazi memorabilia, Breaking the Silence is a business and Amnesty International is anti-Semitic. All cheap propaganda. This time, though, the messenger is propaganda-proof. No one can seriously claim that Goldstone, an active and ardent Zionist, with deep links to Israel, is an anti-Semite. It would be ridiculous.
Although there were some propagandists who actually tried to use the anti-Semitism weapon against him, even they knew this was farcical. One had to hear the moving interview that Goldstone’s daughter Nicole gave to Razi Barkai on Army Radio Wednesday, to understand that he is in fact a lover of Israel and its true friend. She spoke, in Hebrew, of the mental anguish her father experienced and of his conviction that, had he not been there, the report would have been much worse. All he wants is an Israel that is more just, she explained.
Neither can anyone doubt his legal credentials, as a top-level international jurist with an impeccable reputation. The man who found out the truth about Rwanda and Yugoslavia has now done the same regarding Gaza. The former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague is not only a legal authority, he is also a moral authority; therefore complaints about the judge won’t hold water. Instead, it is time to look closer at the accused. Those responsible are first and foremost Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak and Gabi Ashkenazi. So far, incredibly, none of them has paid any price for their misdeeds.
Cast Lead was an unrestrained assault on a besieged, totally unprotected civilian population which showed almost no signs of resistance during this operation. It should have raised an immediate furor in Israel. It was a Sabra and Chatila, this time carried out by us. But there was a storm of protest in this country following Sabra and Chatila, whereas after Cast Lead mere citations were dished out.
It should have been enough just to look at the horrendous disparity in casualties – 100 Palestinians killed for every Israeli – to shake the whole of Israeli society. There was no need to wait for Goldstone to understand that a terrible thing had occurred between the Palestinian David and the Israeli Goliath. But the Israelis preferred to look away, or stand with their children on the hills around Gaza and cheer on the carnage-causing bombs.
Under the cover of the committed media, and criminally-biased analysts and experts – all of whom kept information from coming out – and with brainwashed and complacent public opinion, Israel behaved as if nothing had happened. Goldstone has put an end to that, for which we should thank him. After his job is done, the obvious practical steps will be taken.
It would be better for Israel to summon up the courage to change course while there is still time, investigating the matter genuinely and not by means of the Israel Defense Forces’ grotesque inquiries, without waiting for Goldstone. Olmert and Tzipi Livni must be brought to pay for their scandalous decision not to cooperate with Goldstone, although at this point that is spilled milk. Now that the report is on its way to the ICC and arrest warrants could soon be issued, all that remains to be done is to immediately set up a state inquiry commission in order to avert disgrace in The Hague.
Perhaps next time we set out to wage another vain and miserable war, we will take into account not only the number of fatalities we are likely to sustain, but also the heavy political damage such wars cause.
On the eve of the Jewish New Year, Israel, deservedly, is becoming an outcast and detested country. We must not forget it for a minute.
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Tags:a Sabra and Chatila, Gaza, Gideon Levy, Israel, Israeli cheap propaganda, Judge Richard Goldstone, Olmert and Tzipi Livni, responsible for war crimes, war crimes, wars
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