Hill: ‘I Oppose the President’s Decision to Withdraw Troops from Afghanistan’
Washington,
December 21, 2018
WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement opposing the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan: “The Taliban has been increasing its gains in Afghanistan, and I believe that withdrawing U.S. troops now will allow the Taliban to gather strength and expand even further. A withdrawal at this time undermines our accomplishments against terrorism and does not honor the 2,500 American men and women who have lost their lives fighting to make the world safer for Americans and all people. Further, in my view, only America’s strong military engagement with our NATO allies can press for a negotiated peace in this war-torn nation. “I visited Afghanistan in 2015, and I am especially concerned for civilians like Naheed Esar, a native of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with whom I was able to take tea with while in Kabul. The indomitable spirit of her and her family has resulted in Naheed's successful graduation from the University of Arkansas as a Fulbright Scholar with a master's degree in cultural anthropology. Today, she is in her home country pursuing a career as an independent researcher and writer. Her story should remind all of us that there can be a future with a free Afghanistan and that now is not the time to abandon these civilians to the Taliban.” |
