releases: http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/press-release/stakes-are-even-higher-afghanistan-iraq-we-cannot-allow-taliban-reestablish-terrorist
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/press-release/stakes-are-even-higher-afghanistan-iraq-we-cannot-allow-taliban-reestablish-terrorist | Stakes are Even Higher in Afghanistan than Iraq; We Cannot Allow Taliban to Reestablish a Terrorist Safe Haven in Afghanistan, Says Ros-Lehtinen | 2014-12-10 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Republican | House | FL | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | R000435 | ros-lehtinen.house.gov | legacy | Stakes are Even Higher in Afghanistan than Iraq; We Cannot Allow Taliban to Reestablish a Terrorist Safe Haven in Afghanistan, Says Ros-Lehtinen (Washington, DC) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, made the following statement at a joint subcommittee hearing entitled “After the Withdrawal: The Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Part III).” Statement by Ros-Lehtinen (as prepared for delivery): “This is the third and final hearing this session in a series of hearings these two subcommittees have had aimed at examining the way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the US withdrawal. In addition, the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee has held hearings on how our counternarcotics efforts will be impacted by the withdrawal, and on our relief and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and what needs to be done to address the waste, fraud and abuse that the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) have found over the years. As of Monday, the U.S. and NATO coalition has officially closed their Afghanistan combat command and we have transitioned from a military to a civilian led presence. A maximum 10,800 U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan for the first three months of 2015, with that number dropping to 5,500 by the end of next year and down to just a few hundred by the end of 2016. But we must ponder: has the Administration made the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 based on a political decision or a strategic decision; and are we leaving the security of Afghanistan and our own national interests in the hands of a capable and trustworthy government and security forces? As we take a back seat to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and leave in its hands the fate of Afghanistan’s security, we have many reasons for concern. This past year, with the ANSF taking the lead and conducting many of its own operations, we witnessed the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since 2001, as the ANSF suffered over 5,000 casualties. U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan, including the outgoing top international commander Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson, have called this casualty rate and the rate of desertion in the ANSF unsustainable. As the U.S. began its transition out of the lead last year, the Taliban and an abundance of other terrorists groups and factions across the country have stepped up their attacks, and the rate of attacks are only likely to increase now that they know that the U.S. and our allies have ended our combat operations. But terrorists inside Afghanistan’s borders are not its only challenge. Pakistan continues to harbor and host insurgents and other extremists in the Afghan border regions. Making matters worse, Pakistan’s intelligence service is known to cooperate with the Taliban as it works to undermine Afghanistan’s stability. Even more concerning, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons stockpile is reportedly growing faster than any other in the world and notoriously insecure. Security concerns with Pakistan are also not helped when the Afghan government cannot form a cabinet, including key positions like defense minister. A weak and corrupt government, combined with incapable security forces, does not indicate a positive path forward. Another threat that gets constantly ignored is counter narcotics. Opium cultivation and production again increased sharply this year and Afghanistan is responsible for over 90% of the world’s opium supply. This is an estimated $3 billion dollar industry that generates immense profits, finances terrorists in and outside of Afghanistan, and feeds the rampant corruption that continues to plague its government. As we approach this new phase in Afghanistan, we must be honest with ourselves and the American people. Even though the U.S. has closed its combat command, President Obama has reportedly changed the rules of engagement so that all remaining U.S. troops will be allowed to carry out combat missions, instead of just training and advising. Combat aircraft and drones will now be allowed to provide air support. President Ghani is pleading with the administration for additional support, troops, and funds, desperate to ensure his country does not become another Iraq. The administration likes to pretend that Iraq and Afghanistan are different – or at least, as Secretary Hagel claimed yesterday, that the differences outweigh the similarities. But Secretary Hagel and the administration cannot hide from the facts. Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011, we have seen the brutal terrorist group ISIL take over large portions of both Iraq and Syria, displace millions of people, leave thousands dead, and threaten the interests of both the U.S. and every ally in the region. The fact is that U.S. troops have returned to Iraq, although we continue to lack a comprehensive or coherent strategy there. The stakes are even higher in Afghanistan. If we do not leave behind a stable, strong Afghan government, with capable security forces, the Taliban will not hesitate to reclaim its lost territory and quickly establish another safe haven for terrorists to thrive. The United States has paid too much in blood and treasure to allow this to happen. We owe it to our brave men and women who have sacrificed everything to protect our values and way of life and to whom we are forever indebted. We owe it to heroes like Christian Guzman Torres, a Marine Corporal from my Congressional District, who gave his life in the name of freedom and democracy, and whose memory and legacy will live on forever at the Post Office named in his honor in Princeton, Florida. We owe it to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we do not let the gains we have made slip away, and that we do not allow the Taliban reestablish itself and further destabilize the region.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |