Last week, American troops left their main base in Afghanistan, bringing an effective end to a two-decade war. We asked veterans to share their perspectives 👇 1/9
‘When I got out of the service, I thought I was done fighting.'
Nivardo Gonzalez says he wants to be remembered more for his contributions to his community than in combat. He now hosts a book club and teaches meditation to other vets facing mental health challenges.
2/9
‘Our friends died and what was it all for?’
@_M_Gibbs shares why he feels it’s past time to end the war in Afghanistan and describes the kinship he feels with Afghan interpreters who put their lives at risk, only to be ‘forgotten about.’
3/9
‘I wondered, are my kids going to end up fighting in the same country I did?’
@PeterMartuneac shares how becoming a father changed his perspective on the war he fought in as a young man.
4/9
‘I get it, it’s not easy, but I don’t know that staying there forever and a day is the right thing either.’
Marissa Readinger joined the army at 18, unsure what to do next. She explains that while it was a fulfilling experience, it felt like a Band-Aid effect. 5/9
'We were all just doing our jobs ... but we didn't really know what that was.'
Aaron Green, who was in the Navy for 26 years, says that although a lot of good things happened while the U.S. was in Afghanistan, it will all be a waste once they leave.
6/9
‘We’ve lost trillions of dollars there. You may have seen some of the waste that we’ve expanded there.’
@JohnByrnes13 says that after all the efforts to rebuild Afghanistan, it remains pretty much where it was culturally and technologically 20 years ago.
7/9
'We focus on our coalition’s casualties when there’s collateral damage – and that collateral damage is people.'
Jeffrey Chapdelaine feels a sense of responsibility to the people of Afghanistan and wants the withdrawal to be done for the right reasons and in the right way
8/9
Hear more from Americans as they reflect on the return from Afghanistan, with some wondering why they were there in the first place 9/9 reut.rs/3hMVAdT
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Four decades ago, the United States deployed cruise and Pershing II nuclear missiles in Europe to counter Soviet SS-20s - a move that stoked Cold War tensions but led within years to a historic disarmament deal 1/10 reut.rs/3W97ZNj
'We can be proud of planting this sapling, which may one day grow into a mighty tree of peace,' Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev told US President Ronald Reagan in December 1987 as they agreed to dismantle the rival systems under a new treaty 2/10
The treaty scrapped all ground-based shorter-range and intermediate-range (INF) nuclear and conventional weapons - those with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km 3/10
Israel intensified its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza's south and over a dozen members of one family were killed in an air strike, residents said, as the ruined Palestinian enclave's health ministry announced 29,313 deaths in the war so far 1/6 reut.rs/3wrVZgR
In Jerusalem, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz cited 'promising early signs of progress' on a new deal to release hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza amid talks conducted by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to secure a pause in the war 2/6
The Israeli army said it had stepped up operations in Khan Younis, a city just north of Rafah. It made no mention of attacks on Rafah itself in its daily summary of events in Gaza and did not immediately respond to a request for comment 3/6
View of Buckingham Palace following King Charles' cancer diagnosis reut.rs/486lbGw
King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will postpone public engagements to undergo treatment, Buckingham Palace said, but added he remained ‘wholly positive’ about the scare less than 18 months into his reign
Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians in Khan Younis in a southern coastal area of the Gaza Strip packed with people who had fled attacks in other parts of the enclave, Gaza health ministry officials said 1/8 reut.rs/48luYtg
The dead included nine children, an official told @Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack although it had separately reported fighting and air strikes against Hamas militants in the Khan Younis area 2/8
Gaza residents also said Israeli planes and tanks bombarded three refugee camps in the center of the shattered enclave in heavier attacks than in previous days 3/8
After a school shooting in Tennessee, they recorded the frustrations of parents and state legislators whose cries for gun control were silenced 1/8 reut.rs/41DFBFj
In one photo, it’s almost possible to hear Representative Justin Pearson’s measured tones as he stands in prayer with one hand raised at the Capitol following a legislative session that failed to change any gun laws 2/8
In March, a former student at the Covenant School in Nashville killed three children and three staff members. Pearson and fellow Representative Justin Jones, both Black Democrats, were briefly expelled for leading a gun control protest on the House of Representatives floor 3/8
Elon Musk threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and those who attacked his social media platform X, following moves by several large US companies to halt advertising on the site after being promoted alongside antisemitic content 1/5 reut.rs/40JDEqD
Musk and X have been under a microscope all week for antisemitic and racist content that has proliferated on the site since he purchased it in 2022 2/5
Liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America said earlier this week that it found ads from IBM, Apple and others were placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party 3/5