Ranking Member Risch Meets with Afghan President Ghani, Chairman Abdullah Abdullah

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after meeting with Afghan President Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah:

“I was glad to have the opportunity to meet with President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah Abdullah today, whose presence in Washington this week underscores the urgent situation in their country. 

“I have deep reservations about the decision to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by September 11 without a plan to ensure critical counterterrorism operations can still take place – there are options in-between departing Afghanistan entirely or remaining there forever. I am concerned this decision severely hampers any chances of a negotiated peace, and puts our hard-fought counterterrorism gains at risk. 

“Today’s discussion was useful, but it’s unfortunate that we must discuss how to avoid a worse outcome in Afghanistan.”

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