Why War?
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Barry Bearak

Details of Victory Are Unclear But It Is Celebrated Nonetheless

Barry Bearak | New York Times | March 13, 2002

"As for the American operation, some participants lauded it for effectively encircling the foe, while others said the Taliban had more or less come and gone as they pleased, visiting villagers in nearby towns. As American officials continued to speak about a vast number of well- appointed caves that served as enemy fortresses, General Haider [one of the two main Afghan commanders] called this notion "propaganda" and said he knew of only five or six caverns, none very big." [more]

Children as Barter in a Famished Land

Barry Bearak | New York Times | March 8, 2002

"Mr. Aslam described the transaction: the boys' father had offered to give up his sons so long as they were kept well fed. 'But I know about human rights,' said the restaurant owner. 'I knew I was obligated to pay him something.'
The compensation settled upon was 400,000 Afghanis per month ó about $5 at the time of the deal. 'After two years, I stop paying and the boys are mine forever,' Mr. Aslam said happily, presenting the situation as something as benevolent as an adoption.
He asked the youngsters to sit at his side. He requested a smile. They complied." [more]

Kabul Rushes 1,000 More Men to Join G.I.'s on Battle's Sixth Day

Barry Bearak | New York Times | March 8, 2002

"As the fierce battle persisted for a sixth day, the Defense Ministry in Kabul announced the infusion of soldiers, in effect doubling Afghanistan's commitment to the campaign. Near dusk, a caravan of tanks and armored personnel carriers rumbled down the main road south of the capital toward Paktia Province and the high-elevation combat." [more]

Pashtuns Prey to Vengeance After Taliban's Fall in North

Dexter Filkins and Barry Bearak | New York Times | March 7, 2002

"The Pashtuns of northern Afghanistan are fleeing their villages by the thousands now, telling tales of murder and rape and robbery, and leaving behind empty towns and grazing grounds just beginning to shimmer with the first grass of spring." [more]

Unknown Toll in the Fog of War

Barry Bearak | New York Times | February 10, 2002

"Ý'Tell me why our homes were destroyed and 55 people ó even little children ó are dead?' asked an angry young man named Gul Nabi, standing in December among the 15 obliterated houses of a village named Madoo. 'There were no Arabs here," he said, referring to Al Qaeda fighters. 'There were only farmers who lived a good life and prayed to Allah for peace.'Ý" [more]

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This website is a tribute to Why War?, one of the nation's first and most innovative post-9/11 student antiwar organizations. Born on October 22, 2001 at Swarthmore College, we were a handful of freshmen and sophmores who vocally opposed the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. And now, seven years later, we are retiring this website as we focus our efforts on new directions. We hope that it continues to serve future activists and we remain confident that humanity is on the verge birthing a better world.