'Joe Glenton's release coincides with the vindication of all the reasons he gave for refusing to return to Afghanistan.
Thirty-four British soldiers have died in the last ten weeks, including ten in the last ten days. The rush from politicians to name a withdrawal date is a clear sign that they recognise the obvious: they are losing the war.
"We need to find a way of declaring victory and getting out," was in reality the conclusion of the Kabul Conference on 20 July, attended by 40 foreign ministers from the US and its allies.
The same reasoning lies behind the British government's announcement that all UK combat troops will be withdrawn by 2015, "if the conditions in the country are right to do so".
This is a critical moment for the anti-war movement. We face at least five more years of Afghan civilians and invading soldiers dying in a war which has no other purpose than to save the face of the warmongers.
At the current rate of dying, we can anticipate another thousand British soldiers being killed and many thousands of Afghan civilians.
We need to mobilise the widest opposition to reflect the view of the vast majority in Britain that there should be no more pointless deaths and the troops should all come home now.
Stop the War has called a national Troops Home demonstration for November 20, the day that Nato meets in Lisbon, when Afghanistan will be the main issue for discussion.
Between now and the national demonstration we will organise a range of events, both national and local, to raise the profile of the anti-war majority, including a lobby of parliament in early September, when MPs will debate and vote on a motion on Afghanistan - the first time it has done so since the invasion in 2001.
Leaflets for the national demonstration on November 20 will be available from the Stop the War national office very soon: Contact office@stopwar.org.uk or 020 7801 2768.'
Lindsey German, Stop the War's national convenor, writes HERE.
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