Gino Strada’s Words in Afghanistan20 Bring Home the Enormous Costs of the Conflict in Afghanistan

Temi:

Afghanistan

In October 2001, another twenty-year chapter of the war in Afghanistan began.

“Three months into 2002, the slaughter in Kabul and its environs alone had already claimed more civilians than were killed in New York.”

This phase of the conflict eventually led to “more than 241,000 victims and over 5 million refugees, including both migrants and IDPs. To fund all this, the United States has spent a total of 2 trillion dollars,” wrote Gino Strada, EMERGENCY’s Founder.

Dr Gino Strada in the operating theatre at the Surgical Centre for War Victims in Kabul

“EMERGENCY has spent about 145 million euros in its 22 years in Afghanistan. We have used it to treat more than 7.5 million people, train new doctors and other medical workers, and given jobs to around 2,500 Afghans. All at roughly the cost of keeping a small contingent of soldiers in the country for a year.”

With Afghanistan engulfed by a growing humanitarian crisis, Gino Strada’s words in #Afghanistan20 bring home the enormous costs of the conflict in Afghanistan, and the benefits that spending on humanitarian support can bring instead. Read his article and much more

AFGHANISTAN20