The "War on Terror" has led to the destruction of economies, public services, infrastructure, and several cultural environments - but now we're getting a clearer picture of the toll it's taken on human lives and the indirect deaths caused in post-9/11 war zones in the middle east.
Brown University released a new research study examining the causal pathways that have led to an estimated 3.6-3.7 million indirect deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
The total death toll in these war zones could be at least 4.5-4.6 million and counting, though the precise mortality figure remains unknown due to a lack of records in certain areas. Some people were killed in the fighting, but far more, especially children, have been killed by the reverberating effects of war, such as the spread of disease and stifling resources.
And we sit here in our safe little country wondering "why do they hate Americans". Imagine if there was a mass shooting every single day for decades in your neighborhood. How would you feel? Now imagine they are happening over greed instead of mental illness. And imagine it had a large group of people who worked hard to kill all those kids and we're proud of it...
Just imagine...