Protest against Afghan war drones

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This video from the USA says about itself:

Kathy Kelly on Afghan Humanitarian Crisis, Civilian Casualties and Drone Warfare

12 March 2012

The anger provoked by the U.S. soldier’s attack on 16 Afghan civilians comes amidst outrage over civilian deaths from U.S. drone strikes and a growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Hundreds of Afghan children die daily from hunger even as the United States spends some $2 billion a month on maintaining its occupation. We speak with Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, who has just returned from Afghanistan to stand trial for her role in a protest at a U.S. base over the use of drones. “When is the United States going to understand the rage and antagonism felt by civilians who borne [sic] year after year after year of attacks — unprovoked and uncaused attacks against civilians — as the United States has used its occupation to try to dictate the future of people in Afghanistan?” Kelly asks.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Activists join Afghans to fly kites in drone protest

Monday 23rd March 2015

KITES were flown at events across Britain this weekend in protest at spy and battle drone flights by Western governments.

Afghans celebrate Nowruz — new year — on March 21 with the flying of kites, but they have also become accustomed to armed military and surveillance drones flying overhead.

Voices for Creative Non-Violence UK (VCNV) called for the Fly Kies, Not Drones national event this weekend in solidarity with the Afghan people and other drone victims.

“Kite flying is a well-loved Afghan pursuit which was once banned under the Taliban. For Afghans, kite-flying represents a freedom,” said VCNV.

“We heard reports that children in Afghanistan no longer want to play under the bright blue skies or fly kites because of the threat from drones.”

US President Barack Obama announced Tuesday his reversal of a plan to withdraw some 5,000 more troops from Afghanistan. Instead, the present contingent of approximately 10,000 US military personnel will remain in the country until the end of this year: here.

On April 7th, my Family and 20 or so other people protested drone warfare in front of the main gate of the Battle Creek Air National Guard base in Michigan. In 2013, the base was named a Reaper Drone Operating Station and should be operational any day, if not already. Weaponized drone operators are dropping bombs from my backyard: here.

AFGHANISTAN WAR DEATH TOLL REACHES 100,000: REPORT “Militants attacked a remote guesthouse and killed nine Afghans working for a Czech charity on Tuesday, as a new report by Brown University warned that almost 100,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion overthrew the Taliban regime and sparked an insurgency…the Brown University study — called Costs of War and produced by the university’s Watson Institute for International Studies — looked at war-related deaths, injuries and displacement in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2001 to last year, when international combat troops left Afghanistan. Along with those killed, it said that another 100,000 people had been wounded in Afghanistan. For both countries, civilian and military deaths total almost 149,000 people killed, with 162,000 seriously wounded, according to the report’s author, Neta Crawford.” [Lynne O’Donnell, AP]

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