By IRNA,
London : The unprecedented publication of 90,000 US military documents on the war in Afghanistan could mark the beginning of the end of Nato’s involvement in its first out-of-area operation, according to the UK’s largest peace group network.
“In reality, they are an embarrassment to a government and military which has repeatedly boasted how well the war is progressing,” said national convenor of Stop the War Coalition (SWTC) Lindsay German.
“The leaks also reflect badly on much of the media, which – without any independent investigation – simply churns out the line of the politicians and military waging war,” German said.
STWC held a meeting under the theme of ‘Rally Afghanistan – Time To Go’ in central London on Monday night, where the leaked documents, published by Wikileaks, were discussed.
Among the speakers were former cabinet minister and veteran politician, Tony Benn, who is president of the STWC, and Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, just released from prison following his court martial for refusing to fight in Afghanistan.
The German said that the war logs together with Wikileaks previously published Iraq’s “collateral murder” video, show the reality of US wars of “liberation”.
“How much longer can the British and US governments maintain the fiction that the war in Afghanistan is, in the words of former UK defence minister Des Browne, one of the most noble causes of the 21st century?” she asked.
The documents, she said, “paint a picture of suppressed civilian casualties, targeted assassinations and remote control bombing of border areas with Pakistan.”
The meeting suggested that the responsibility of the anti-war movement was clear “to raise the level of campaigning so that the government, parliament and the media are forced to respond to the overwhelming view of the British public, that the time to bring all the troops home from Afghanistan is now.