[Sosfbay-discuss] How Should We Speak Out About the growing Quagmire in Afghanistan?

[henry duke]

Since we are nearing the 6 year anniversary on October 7th of the US
bombing, invasion, and occupation of Afghanistan, does anyone have plans to
respond to the democratic party plans to increase US troop involvement
there?

Me thinks it is imperative for an independent peace or green or justice
electoral movement to raise this issue -- the US war against Afghanistan was
never a solution to terrorism, rather it was an exacerbation of the cause.

-henry hank duke
CODO Verde / OC Greens
OC Peace Action
............. 

 

ITEM #1 INCREASING US COMMITMENT/QUAGMIRE IN AFGHANISTAN

 

According to a recent US report to congress, funding for OEF in Afghanistan
between 2006 and 2007 more than doubled, while the war in Iraq surge
represented a very significantly lower increase in funding.

 

 

Order Code RL33110

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global

War on Terror Operations Since 9/11

Updated July 16, 2007

Amy Belasco

Specialist in National Defense

Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on

Terror Operations Since 9/11

Summary

With enactment of the FY2007 supplemental on May 25, 2007, Congress has

approved a total of about $610 billion for military operations, base
security,

reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans' health care for
the three

operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom
(OEF)

Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle
(ONE),

providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom
(OIF).

The $610 billion total covers all war-related appropriations from FY2001

through the May 25, 2007 enactment of the FY2007 Supplemental (H.R.

2206/P.L.110-28) including funds in both supplementals and regular
appropriations

acts for DOD, State Department/AID, and VA Medical costs. For FY2007, funds
for

Iraq and Afghanistan were appropriated in the FY2007 Supplemental, DOD's

FY2007 Appropriations (H.R. 5631/P.L.109-289), and the Year-Long Continuing

Resolution (H.J.Res 20/P.L.110-5).

Of the $610 billion appropriated thus far, CRS estimates that Iraq will
receive

about $450 billion (74%), OEF about $127 billion (21%), and enhanced base
security

about $28 billion (5%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1%).
Of this

total funding, 93% of the funds is for DOD, 7% for foreign aid programs and

embassy operations, and less than 1% for medical care for veterans.

In February 2007, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that war costs
for

the next 10 years might total about $472 billion if troop levels fell to
30,000 by 2010,

or $919 billion if troop levels fell to 75,000 by about 2013. Under such
assumptions

and adjusting for the FY2007 Supplemental, total funding for Iraq,
Afghanistan and

the GWOT could reach from about $1 trillion to $1.45 trillion by 2017.

For DOD, war appropriations rose steeply in FY2007. DOD received $165.8

billion for war costs in FY2007 - about 40% more than the previous year. In

FY2007, the State Department will receive about $6.3. billion for Iraq and

Afghanistan for foreign and diplomatic operations, and VA medical costs for

OIF/OEF veterans will be about $1 billion, according to CRS estimates.

For FY2008, the Administration has requested $141.7 billion for DOD's war

costs, $4.6 billion for foreign and diplomatic operations, and about $800
million for

VA medical costs. If Congress approves these requests, total funding for
Iraq and the

Global War on Terror would reach about $758 billion, including about $567
billion

for Iraq, $157 billion for Afghanistan, $29 billion for enhanced security,
and $5

billion unallocated.

For the first half of FY2007, CRS estimates that DOD's average monthly

obligations for contracts and pay are running about $12 billion per month,
well above

the estimated $8.7 billion in FY2006. For FY2007, obligations are about $10
billion

in Iraq, $1.9 billion in Afghanistan, and less than $100 million for
enhanced security.

This report will be updated as warranted.

 

 

ITEM # 2 INCREASING BODY-COUNT HUMAN TOLL IN AFGHANISTAN

 

 

Regarding Under-reporting of  Casualties/ Suffering see:

 

http://www.unknownnews.net/casualties.html

 

-- IN AFGHANISTAN --

8,587 AFGHAN TROOPS KILLED
and 25,761 SERIOUSLY INJURED   July 2004

3,485 AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED
and 6,273 SERIOUSLY INJURED   July 2004

342 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 1,026 SERIOUSLY INJURED   Jan. 2007

278 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 834 SERIOUSLY INJURED   June 2007

 ?  U.S. and COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and  ?  SERIOUSLY INJURED    

US and coalition deaths and injuries listed above include deaths and
injuries reported in all of "Operation Enduring Freedom," which is the
Pentagon's public-relations name for what's commonly called the war on
terror. About 75% of these deaths and injuries have occured within
Afghanistan and its neighbor nations, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Other US and
coalition deaths and injuries included in the above numbers may have occured
in Cuba (Guantanamo Bay), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya,
Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.