Afghan Women Speak Out: Dr. Roshnak Wardak

Posted by CODEPINK Staff

From Jodie Evans:

I am just returning from my 10-day trip to Afghanistan. As we left, a farm was bombed and eight members of a family were killed. Eight U.S. soldiers also lost their lives in an insurgent raid on their outpost. And today marks the 8th anniversary of the US Invasion of that war torn country.

We have spent a quarter of a trillion dollars in those 8 years and what have we got for all that time, money, and suffering? Most of the country is in worse condition, the Taliban have been growing in strength and number, the bordering countries are more unstable and death fills the air.

We went to hear what the women of Afghanistan thought about the push for more troops. We spoke with journalists, doctors, activists, NGOs, members of government, and average Afghan women. Most of the women do not want more troops. Instead, they need support to sustain their lives. They want that money spent on what we really need to bring peace: investment in the people of Afghanistan.

Everything we have done in eight years has no plan - just short-term solutions with long-term catastrophic effects. Afghans want education, jobs, healthcare, infrastructure. They want us to send troops of doctors, teachers, engineers and business leaders - not more soldiers. Yet we have continued to support a situation that fuels insurgency instead of a sustainable culture. Ninety percent of the funding to Afghanistan is used for military spending and only 10 percent has been used for development. Obama already authorized an additional 21,000 troops this year and Gen. McChrystal is expected to ask for an additional 40,000 troops.

Member of Parliament and gynecologist Dr. Roshnak Wardak speaks about the situation in her province. We have to do all we can to stop another surge. As Americans, we need to stand with the women of Afghanistan and fight for development, not troops.