Handout for WNC Veterans for Peace Chapter 099 vigil on September 6, 2022

 

Photo:

Pakistani protesters rally against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in Karachi, Pakistan, September 2001

Reuters

 

 Veterans for Peace Statement on Afghanistan:

 

 In the wake of the international coalition's military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021, the United States froze Afghanistan's central-bank assets, paralyzing the country's banking system.  Financial sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies as well as severe limitations on remittances further limited cash flow and contributed to severe inflation. This lethal combination of factors has adversely impacted and deteriorated the stability of the Afghan economy.

As a result, the Afghan people are suffering from a humanitarian crisis unprecedented in scale and affecting every city, town, and corner of the country. Just over half of the Afghan population, almost 23 million Afghans, are facing acute food insecurity this winter. One million Afghan children are at risk of dying from malnutrition and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that if no concrete action is taken, almost 97% of the country's population will plunge into poverty.

We urge the Administration to rescind the executive order released on February 11th and designate the entire $7.1 billion in Afghan reserves, mostly held at the Federal Bank of New York, to be used for the purposes of injecting liquidity and stabilization of the Afghan economy to prevent additional humanitarian crises.

To join Veterans for Peace, or to sign up for VFP e-News, go to: https://www.veteransforpeace.org
Chapter 099 - Western North Carolina Website: www.vfp099.org /  Facebook: Veterans for Peace Chapter 099
email: president@vfp099.org
Mailing address: VFP Chapter 099, PO Box 1024, Asheville NC 28802