Jack Layton Calls for Afghanistan withdrawal

It's about bloody time. We have accomplished squat in Afghanistan beyond the deaths of more Afghanis and Canadians. Gordon O'Connor himself has admitted that Afghanistan is no better off than this time last year. It is well past time to show that we support our troops by bringing them back from fighting a proxy war with the United States. A real peace process is needed. We have to realize that the Taliban cannot be squashed by military means. The have the support of much of the population in southern Afghanistan, and they must be engaged in a dialogue. This does not mean that we must force Afghanistan to return to being governed by the Taliban. It means that we must see that the Taliban are the legitimate political choice of many in the South. They ought to be given the opportunity to engage in the political process. And Canadian troops must be brought home. Our presence is a provocation of the Afghan people and we have no right to be there.

Furthermore, Canada should be making reparations for every building destroyed by Canadian fire power. We should be compensating the families of every Afghan the Canadian Forces have killed. We should show our soldiers support by bringing them home to a place where they died for no reason. If our soldiers must die, it must be in the service of a defensible goal, for example defending the people of Darfur from rape and murder. Not fighting a war for the Americans. If the Americans are so intent on seeing Afghanistan conquered and pacified, let them try to do it themselves. We stepped into the breach, to allow American troops to be diverted to Iraq. Shame on our government. Canadian troops must be withdrawn now. They should not die for nothing. We should not be killing Afghanis for nothing.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 882