On the anniversary of Sept. 11, we should save Afghanistan's children — Opinion

By William Lambers Deora Frances Bodley, the youngest victim on Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, once wrote 'People ask who, what, where, when, why, how. I ask peace.' Bodley was just 20 when she died on 9/11, and left these words of wisdom. Upon the 25th anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, peace is the best path forward for healing. As the Sept. 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows have said numerous times, war will not end terrorism or bring peace. Our road to peace and healing is long even 25 years after 9/11. We could save Afghanistan's children from starvation because there is extreme hunger in that impoverished nation right now. The tragedy of Sept. 11 claimed nearly 3,000 lives when terrorists hijacked four airplanes and rammed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Chesterfield 9/11 Memorial in Chesterfield, N.J. was unveiled on September 11, 2024. The memorial ifeatures three monuments symbolizing the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93. It was built as a collaborative community effort with Sewa International. Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Patti Sapone | NJ.com Flight 93 did not reach the intended target in Washington, D.C. because the passengers, including Deora Bodley, fought back against the terrorists. The heroic passengers of Flight 93 caused the plane to crash in a Pennsylvania field. They lost their lives but saved countless others. The 9/11 attacks led to years of warfare and tragedy in Afghanistan, the home base of the terrorists and the Taliban government that protected them. Now the Taliban is back in power and the U.S. military has long since left. Forgotten are the children of Afghanistan who are the innocent victims of years of chaos. We can do more to help Afghanistan's children, who are suffering amid rising hunger. The UN World Food Program (WFP) warns of major funding shortages for its infant-feeding programs in Afghanistan. FILE - Afghan girls attend a religious school, which remained open since the last year's Taliban takeover, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 11, 2022. Two years after the Taliban banned girls from school beyond sixth grade, Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education. Now, the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File) AP Without the funding, Afghan children will starve or suffer lasting damage from malnutrition. 'Feeble cries of malnourished babies haunt the health clinics of Afghanistan as worried mothers—many themselves weakened by hunger—bring their children, desperate for treatment,' said John Aylieff, WFP country director in Afghanistan. These children are innocent victims of Afghanistan's years of conflict, natural disasters and instability. The charity Save the Children warns, 'the number of acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan is increasing with nearly one in 10 children under five experiencing wasting while plummeting funding is causing essential services to shutter.' Afghan mothers hold their babies suffering from malnutrition as they wait at a UNICEF clinic in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2019. A year later, severe childhood malnutrition was spiking, up 13% in the first six months of 2020, according to UNICEF.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) AP We could save the children from a horrible fate by supporting the WFP, Save the Children and other relief agencies in Afghanistan. We could save this generation of Afghan children who may be able to build a better, more peaceful society in the future. Saving children from starvation has long been an American tradition, dating back to the Belgian Relief Commission during the First World War. This humanitarian tradition has been our best tool for promoting peace. Hunger is an enemy to peace. We should do much more to feed children around the world rather than engage in endless wars. Sadly, more resources are given to wars and weapons than to food aid programs. As we reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, we want to build a world where people do not have to suffer such tragedy and sorrow. The world has seen enough war over the past 25 years. It is time to build a peaceful future where lives are saved, including those of Afghan children. William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book Ending World Hunger.