Statement on the 20 year Anniversary of “Operation Enduring Freedom”
October 7th, 2022 would have marked the 20 year anniversary of the United States’ commencement of Operation Enduring Freedom, the military operation that officially began the US/NATO occupation of Afghanistan. While the US military formally withdrew from Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, what does endure is the violence of US empire and the many political actors and state institutions with whom it has colluded. That violence continues in the lives of the millions of Afghans who remain stuck within their country’s borders, in the lives of the 5.3 million people displaced since the War on Terror, and in the lives of the survivors who lost (and continue to lose) loved ones in US-led drone attacks and targeted civilian attacks by state and non-state groups. We acknowledge and recognize the ongoing ways that the Afghan people continue to live under inhumane conditions but also continue to fight for their right to self-determination and self-expression. October 7th marks almost twenty years of war, marked by complicated periods of hope, uncertainty, and fragmented futures. In this recognition, we express our ongoing solidarity with all parts of Afghan society, including the LGBTQ community, the Hazara people, Afghan women, and other historically marginalized peoples who are courageously fighting for a more just and equitable future.
