On September 28, an expected 9.6 million registered Afghan voters will either decide to re-elect their current president Ashraf Ghani or vote for one of the other 17 candidates running for president. It’s largely expected that the U.S.-backed incumbent will win.

Those who dare to show up at voting centers on election day do so in fear of facing violence. For the last 10 years, elections have led to violence from the Taliban Islamic militants fighting against the U.S.-supported Afghan forces. The Taliban, who are fighting against foreign occupation in their country, use election days, a reminder of the U.S.'s hold over the country, as a way to protest foreign troops' invasion in Afghanistan.  

October 7 will mark 18 years that the U.S. has been occupying Afghanistan. The reason for the invasion was to find Osama bin Ladin, who has now been dead for 8 years. In addition, when the Navy SEALs captured and killed him, he was not even in Afghanistan. So why are there still U.S. troops in Afghanistan 18 years after 9/11 and 8 years after Osama bin Ladin was killed?
The 2008 Democratic primary race was all about who didn’t vote in favor of the Iraqi war. Then-Senator Barack Obama was not in office during the Iraq invasion vote, but former Senator Hillary Clinton was. This and their medical proposals were issues that helped voters choose between the two moderate candidates.

In order to not seem too anti-war but anti-war enough to keep his more progressive base, Obama ran his campaign saying that the Iraqi war was something that should have never started and that, if elected, he would increase the war in Afghanistan. As president, he did exactly that by increasing the number of boots on the ground and adding a new element of terror for the Afghan people; the U.S. began using drones as part of its military occupation during Obama's presidency.

The terror of drones continues into present day. CNN reported that at least 40 civilians were killed during a wedding Sunday. The drone attack delivered by the Afghan government was intended for a believed Taliban hideout near the ceremony's venue. Another drone strike carried out by the U.S. killed 16 civilians. Amnesty International said the strikes show “shocking disregard for civilian life," according to that same CNN report.

As we approach yet another Democratic primary debate, I wonder if the Democrats will discuss truly ending the war in Afghanistan. While many candidates support bringing the troops home, they still support having some sort of military presence in Afghanistan, which means while the war can officially end, the occupation will continue. And while that’s great for the U.S. soldiers who get to come home, what about the Afghan people who are tired of fearing drones in the sky? What about the Afghan people who don’t want a foreign military in their country? 

It seems unclear if the Democratic party as a whole still has room for those who are anti-war. Has seeking a just war in opposition to the wrong war caused the Democrats to lose their way? Since 9/11, the whole country has become less gun shy, and Democrats have become afraid of looking weak in an attempt to refrain from outwardly supporting some sort of killing. 

As we conclude a week of the Climate Strike and the UN's climate crisis hearings, why aren’t we discussing the role the military plays on increasing the country's carbon footprint? As we’re trying to unite to fight against the war on the planet, perhaps this would also be a good time to start the conversation about ending all wars on humanity.