Posted on 05/01/2008 5:05:57 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is calling for a renewed focus on fighting terrorism in Afghanistan after returning from a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to the war-torn region.
“Afghanistan represents the front lines of the war on terror,” the Tucson lawmaker said Wednesday. “We are neglecting it, and we are paying the price.”
Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, and four congressional colleagues spent two days in Afghanistan. They met with Arizona troops, top U.S. military commanders and Afghan government officials. They also traveled to Pakistan to meet with President Pervez Musharraf and other government leaders.
The purpose of the trip was to survey the progress of ongoing operations in Afghanistan and to gauge the readiness of our forces to conduct counterinsurgency operations.
While in Afghanistan, the delegation was briefed by U.S. Gen. Dan K. McNeill, commander of the International Security Assistance Force. Giffords asked about the training servicemembers receive to succeed in their vital counterinsurgency efforts. Giffords is drafting legislation to expand language and cultural competency training in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Got a shredder? Any time I get a donation solicitation with “franked” self addressed return envelope I shred the JUNK put it in the envelope and mail it back to her.
lol,.. ain’t I a stinker?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.