ARLINGTON, Va.—Concerned Veterans for America Executive Director Nate Anderson released the following statement on reports of President Trump moving to further reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan:
“We applaud the president for further reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. We hope this is a step towards a full withdrawal from both countries – something the president has repeatedly and rightly called for. As our entanglement in Afghanistan approaches its 20th year and in Iraq, its 18th, Americans have grown weary of the unnecessary loss of lives and trillions in squandered tax dollars. It’s time for a better American foreign policy – one that will honor the sacrifices of our veterans and their families by not sending them to fight in endless wars that do not make us safer.”
BACKGROUND:
According to the agreement struck between the U.S. and the Taliban in February, all American troops are planned to be withdrawn from the country by April of next year.
CVA launched a $1.5 million national ad campaign in January aimed at bringing our troops home from Afghanistan. The group followed it up with a second phase of the campaign, which launched in July, continuing its nationwide grassroots effort. In total, the campaign has sent over 400,000 letters to leaders in Washington urging them to end to our “forever wars.”
Polling commissioned by CVA earlier this year showed a continued increase in support for a more restrained foreign policy. From 2019 to 2020, support among veterans for withdrawing from Afghanistan rose 13 percentage points – from 60 percent to 73 percent. Among military family members, it rose 9 percent – from 60 percent to 69 percent.