Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement on the president’s Afghanistan announcement:

“Much has changed since 9/11, but our mission in Afghanistan remains just as important: to prevent another terrorist attack at home.  This is especially true as the Taliban and al-Qaeda are on the rise in Afghanistan, in part because of the arbitrary deadlines and half-measures of the last administration.

“Under no circumstances can Afghanistan again become a base for terrorists to plan and execute attacks against the United States.  I welcome the role our commanders on the ground played in shaping this strategy, and will closely review the specific details with my colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Committee.   

“It has long been my goal to see a stable Afghanistan, where Afghans can live with dignity.  Given the ongoing terrorist threats, we need a credible U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and an equally strong diplomatic strategy. This must include pressing neighboring Pakistan – which remains a fount of radical Islamist thought –  to put an end to its destabilizing activities.  The stakes in Afghanistan are too high, and we’ve sacrificed too much, to come up short.”  

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