U.S. Senator Susan Collins released this statement tonight following the President’s address to the nation on his plans for the war in Afghanistan.
“While I welcome the President’s decision to begin drawing down the number of American troops in Afghanistan, I continue to have many questions about our overall mission there. I want to hear directly from our military leaders to determine the feasibility of the President’s plan. The Senate Armed Services Committee, of which I am a member, will hold a hearing Tuesday, and I will question Lieutenant General John Allen who has been nominated to become Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan."
“The key to our troops being able to leave Afghanistan is the development of a professional Afghan National Security Force. In 2007, there were approximately 127,000 Afghan forces; today there are about 280,000. The transition to Afghans taking the lead in defending their nation has been slow and impeded by corruption in the Afghan government.”
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