Nineteen years ago, the worst fighting in Kabul was in Afshar District, where 300 people died in a single day. Many were forced from their homes as mujahideen warlords vied for control of the city. Now residents from the area who survived want justice. Without it, they say, Afghanistan will enjoy no peace. Khan Mohammad Danishjo reports.
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On whether the end jusadtiadfied the means in Iraq, we have to rememadber that the goal kept changading. We indevad to find WMD’s and to break up the tie between Iraq and al Qaeda. When it turned out there were no WMDs and there was no tie between Iraq and al Qaeda, we were told we went in to help the Iraqi peoadple in their uprisading against Husadsein. When it became obviadous the Iraqi peoadple were not engaged in any such uprisading, we simadply went in to capadture or kill Husadsein. We were also told it was part of what Dick Cheney called “the Long War,” someadthing he enviadsioned as a centuries-long strugadgle against Islam.If we are to judge whether the end jusadtiadfied the means, we might first have to know what the end was. We still have no idea why Bush&Co indevad Iraq, or what the strateadgists who occuadpied the White House were hopading to accomadplish. Apparadently, either they don’t know themadselves, or it isn’t someadthing they’re comadfortadable admitadting to in public.Iraq was a comadplete waste of lives, resources, and Ameradiadcan image. It accomadplished nothading desiradable, and it killed far more Ameradiadcans (and peradhaps a couadple of hunaddred times more Iraqis) than died in the 9–11 attacks, even though 9–11 was used as one of the many intenadtionadally faladsiadfied justifications.For anyadone to defend the deciadsion to invade Iraq, or to present it as any kind of “sucadcess” is sheer madness.