Nafisa Abdullah / CREDO Petitions – 2013-09-18 00:29:22
http://share.credoaction.com/4/529
Give Kids in Afghanistan the
Opportunity to Live without War
Nafisa Abdullah / CREDO Petitions
To: Representative Ed Royce — Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairperson
(September 17, 2013) — Support the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act (H.R. 200) introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee and ensure that funds used by the armed forces in Afghanistan are used only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all US military personnel and Department of Defense contractor personnel in Afghanistan.
Innocent Afghan civilians and children continue to be killed and injured because of continuing military operations. We can’t afford to lose more lives!
While the world’s focus is on the unfolding crisis in Syria, just days ago the commander of NATO ground forces in Afghanistan told media that currently there are still no plans in place for complete withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Without a hard deadline in place, it’s clear that if we don’t push for an immediate withdrawal, the war in Afghanistan could continue indefinitely.
Every day the war in Afghanistan continues, more innocent children are killed or injured and more patients with injuries unrelated to the war must be turned away from local hospitals. That’s why I started my own campaign on CREDO Mobilize, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, says:
Support the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act (H.R. 200) introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee and ensure that funds used by the armed forces in Afghanistan are used only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all US military personnel and Department of Defense contractor personnel in Afghanistan.
Innocent Afghan civilians and children continue to be killed and injured because of continuing military operations. We can’t afford to lose more lives!
I was born in Kabul, but now live in the US. I have worked in Afghanistan as a doctor with an organization called EMERGENCY that runs three surgical centers and 34 clinics throughout Afghanistan which have treated over 3.7 million people since 1999.
For 10 years, our Surgical Center for Civilian Victims of War in Kabul treated anyone who arrived. But for the past two years the admission criteria have been restricted to war-related injuries, due to the continued increase in civilian injuries.
The Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act (H.R. 200), introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, could help save the lives of millions and allow us to improve the health of many more. This bill would accelerate the timetable for ending the war in Afghanistan by requiring funds allocated to the armed forces in Afghanistan to be used only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all US military personnel and Department of Defense contractor personnel in Afghanistan.
While the bill has already gained 40 cosponsors, it has stalled in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, which Rep. Ed Royce chairs. Rep. Royce could help bring the bill to the House floor, but so far he has refused, putting the lives of more Afghan children at risk and preventing others from receiving care. But if enough people like you join me and sign my petition, we can make sure Rep. Royce understands the true cost of letting the war continue.
Thousands of children have been treated at the hospital in Kabul since it opened in March of 2001. For the cost of one day of war in Afghanistan, EMERGENCY could build 10 high-standard, free-of-charge hospitals and cover all expenses for three years.
The ongoing bloodshed in Afghanistan is evidence that a political solution is not feasible for that war-ravaged nation as long as American troops remain as an occupation force. If we accelerate the timetable to end the war in Afghanistan, we can improve the lives of millions who would finally have the opportunity to live without war.
Thank you for your support.
Nafisa Abdullah
