The United States marks the 15th anniversary of its military invasion and occupation of Afghanistan this week, with no end in sight. The Washington Post reports that President Obama is seriously considering a plan that would leave a significant troop force in the country after 2016, a move that would end his plans to bring U.S. troops home before he leaves office.

Just days before the 15th anniversary, a Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, a city recently seized by the Taliban, was hit in an air raid by U.S. forces. The bombing resulted in over 20 dead and 40 wounded and leaves open serious unanswered questions about whether or not U.S. forces actually targeted the hospital on purpose – an unthinkable act that would be hard to entertain except for the unfolding facts on the ground and the unfortunate history of verifiable incidents where the U.S. military has targeted hospitals.

We are told, repeatedly, that all of this violence is to secure the peace, to protect our freedom. Fill in your own version of the phrase “killing for peace” is like “verbing for noun” here.

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