McCaul Statement on Afghanistan

Statement by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee, on the President’s military orders for Afghanistan:

“I applaud the President for his commitment to increasing troop forces in Afghanistan from where Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda attacked the United States. However, any timeline for withdraw of U.S. and NATO military forces should be based on conditions on the ground and not on the Washington political clock.

“The Afghan population and tribal leaders must have confidence in the staying power of the United States. Abandoning our commitment only serves to embolden the Taliban and al Qaeda and undermine the overall mission.

"Tomorrow I look forward to questioning the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during our Foreign Affairs hearing as to whether they believe the troop levels are sufficient for victory and what impact they believe a timeline for withdraw will have on our goal of achieving security and stability in the region.”