Statement of Senators Obama, Reed and Hagel on Trip to Afghanistan
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Printable FormatFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael Ortiz (Obama), Chip Unruh (Reed), or Jordan Stark (Hagel)
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - U.S. Senators Barack Obama, Jack Reed, and Chuck Hagel today released the following statement on their trip to Afghanistan:
"We've had a great visit so far, starting on Friday in Kuwait and now here in Afghanistan.
"First and foremost, we're here to see the troops, to thank them for their extraordinary service and to let them know that we and the folks back home are proud of them.
"We're in Afghanistan because this is the central front in the war on terrorism. Those who actually attacked us on 9/11 reside in the badlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have regrouped and they are getting stronger, as we saw yesterday with attacks throughout Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of a NATO soldier and several members of the Afghan police.
"We're talking to our military and diplomatic leadership, and to the leaders of Afghanistan, about whether we have the right strategy and the right resources to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, and to support lasting stability. Our message to the Afghan government is this: we want a strong partnership based on "more for more" - more resources from the United States and NATO, and more action from the Afghan government to improve the lives of the Afghan people.
"We need a sense of urgency and determination. We need urgency because the threat from the Taliban and al Qaeda is growing and we must act; we need determination because it will take time to prevail. But with the right strategy and the resources to back it up, we will get the job done."
