Holbrooke’s last words: ‘You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan’

12-14-2010 • RawStory.com

America's chief envoy to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke spoke chilling last words about the nine-year military conflict before his death Monday night. "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," Holbrooke told his Pakistani surgeon before entering a 21-hour operation, the Washington Post reported. Holbrooke was the Obama administration's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a man whose diplomatic skills and understanding of Afghanistan and Pakistan were a valuable asset to the United States. He died on December 13, 2010, in Washington due to complications from heart surgery. His haunting last words illustrate the depths of doubt among key players over the viability of US-NATO efforts in the war-torn region, which have this year been expressed by the Karzai government, the British government, and aides to former General Stanley McChrystal. As violence has risen in Afghanistan over the last two years, the Obama administration has backed away from its July 2011 withdrawal timeline, and a majority of the US public no longer believes the war is worth fighting.