Protesters say Afghan confab not about peace

Anti-war campaigners have held a rally outside the Afghanistan Conference in London, saying the meeting has nothing to do with peace.

On Thursday, large crowds of protesters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Stop the War Coalition (STWC), gathered at the Lancaster House venue, where the Afghanistan Conference was being held.

Protesters carried a coffin bearing the words “The Blood Price” to represent all of those who have died in the eight-year conflict. They also called for an end to the military presence in the war-torn country.

“The war in Afghanistan has no clear aims. It is clearly escalating and spinning out of control and can only have a negative impact on Pakistan and the whole of south Asia NATO forces have been in Afghanistan for over eight years and the result appears to be increased drug production, high levels of corruption and terrible losses of life on all sides, both civilian and military,” Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament chairwoman Kate Hudson said.

The STWC says the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable. A spokeswoman for STWC also said that “the leaders gathering here (London) have only one response to the catastrophe their war has created — more war.”

Last month, US President Barack Obama approved the deployment of 30,000 extra American troops to Afghanistan. Likewise, German Chancellor Angela Merkel committed 500 more troops to the war in Afghan.

In November 2009, the UK sanctioned the deployment of 500 more troops to move its total force level in Afghanistan to 10,000.

Leaders and ministers from 70 nations met in London on Thursday to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan. The London conference will be followed by a meeting in Kabul later this year.