The following is a statement by Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) on the president's Afghanistan policy. I appreciate President Obama’s careful consideration regarding the future of the U.S.’s engagement in Afghanistan. In a responsible shift from the previous administration, the president has resisted calls for a rush to judgment, giving such an important decision the attention it deserves.Personally, I have extremely mixed feelings about sending more troops to Afghanistan, but on balance I'm inclined to support an increase in troops as long as: a) it is paid for; b) there's a clear strategy, including a clear exit strategy; c) the focus is on fighting Al Qaeda and on training Afghan forces to take over the job as rapidly as possible; d) we get out of there as soon as the mission is completed. I'm very interested in hearing what President Obama has to say - and how he says it - at West Point tonight.
The President’s focus on providing an exit strategy for Afghanistan is appropriate and commendable. I am concerned, however, that the projected call for such a substantial increase in troops will cost too many of our soldiers’ lives for an unwinnable military mission and more money than we cannot afford to borrow from our children’s future.
The cost is too high. The proposed troop increase and what I fear may become a long term counterinsurgency commitment of sustaining 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan is estimated to cost more than $1 trillion. There is insufficient justification for the American people to bear the burden of what could become a long term commitment to what is already the second longest war in American history.
Our security concern is Al-Qaeda, not the Taliban. Eight years ago we went into Afghanistan to eliminate al-Qaeda and the “safe haven” that Afghanistan’s Taliban were providing the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Al Qaeda has no significant presence today in all of Afghanistan. In contrast, their presence in Pakistan, Yemen, the Horn of Africa, and Europe has grown exponentially. I’m concerned increasing our involvement in Afghanistan will only further the perception of the U.S. as an occupying force in the region, hardening the indigenous insurgency in Afghanistan, and distracting our attention from the more serious threat of universal jihadist factions outside of Afghanistan.
History shows that without a credible government partner, nation-building can’t succeed. Fighting a successful insurgency requires that the government in place be deserving of the loyalty and call to sacrifice demanded of its citizens. Unfortunately, the government of President Hamid Karzai is the second most corrupt in the world. The Karzai administration lacks the confidence of the Afghan people, and has virtually no influence outside of the capital, Kabul. Afghanistan has historically lacked a strong central government, let alone one financially and militarily dependent upon a foreign country.
Instead of increasing our troop presence, the U.S. should limit its mission in Afghanistan to securing strategic Afghan population centers with the troops currently on the ground, require the Karzai government to make reforms if they want to continue receiving the existing level of aid for targeted development projects, and establish a more specific plan for drawing down our troops and empowering the legitimate provincial leaders to take control of their own destiny through semi autonomous regional councils operating in the Pastun-majority provinces.
Our military and civilian personnel have served valiantly in Afghanistan for over eight years. The mission we set out to accomplish of capturing and prosecuting Osama bin Laden and the other perpetrators of the 9/11 attack can only be accomplished in Pakistan where they currently reside. The Afghan conflict is a civil war whose outcome can only be determined by the Afghan people, for better or for worse.
UPDATE: The White House has released excerpts from President Obama's speech tonight.
“The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 – the fastest pace possible – so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans.”UPDATE #2: Rep. Gerry Connolly's (D-11th) press release on Barack Obama's speech.
“Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead. Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what’s at stake is not simply a test of NATO’s credibility – what’s at stake is the security of our Allies, and the common security of the world.”
“Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground. We will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan’s Security Forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul. But it will be clear to the Afghan government – and, more importantly, to the Afghan people – that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country.”
Tonight, President Obama laid out a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to a very difficult situation.
I do not subscribe to the views of those who suggest we can’t achieve a positive outcome in Afghanistan. We can and we must. Like all Americans, I am tired of this war. I have visited Virginia troops in Afghanistan, and I have grieved with Virginia families who have lost loved ones there.
When the Taliban was in power, it harbored and aided Al Qaeda, who trained and planned the 9-11 attacks on Americans in New York and Washington. American blood was spilled on our native soil. We cannot forget that. And we need to take responsible action to ensure it never happens again.
The previous Administration diverted our military and diplomatic focus from Afghanistan to Iraq. Now we must turn our attention back to Afghanistan to prevent a Taliban takeover of the Afghan government and to eliminate Al Qaeda safe havens.
No one argues that this is or will be an easy task. Rampant corruption within the Kabul government hampers its ability to earn the trust and support of its own people. The heroin trade has exploded as internal security has deteriorated throughout the country. All must be addressed.
But a precipitous withdrawal or even the announcement of such will most surely destabilize Afghanistan. Pakistan is likely to follow, and Pakistan is a nuclear state.
President Obama laid out clear and minimal objectives to provide for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan beginning in July 2011. He has determined that an additional 30,000 U.S. troops are needed to meet those objectives. I concur with this determination and will support his efforts.
