WASHINGTON – Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) made the following remarks as prepared during a hearing held by the Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia entitled “Strategic Chaos and Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan.”

The main witness at the hearing was Retired Lieutenant General David Barno, Director of Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (NDU). Before joining NDU, General Barno took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has served as Commanding General, United States Army Training Center and Fort Jackson.

“Thank you, Chairman Ackerman for holding this hearing on Afghanistan and our mission there.

“Let me begin, by saying I am forever proud of the hard work and dedication of our military men and women who are serving in Afghanistan. Over my six visits to Afghanistan to visit with our troops– including four quarterly visits with members of the 218th Brigade Combat Team, my former unit of 28 years, led by Brigadier General Bob Livingston – I have seen how they have answered the call of their nation during a very difficult time. Their courage and professionalism is inspiring.

“While much progress has been made, there remain many challenges we face in Afghanistan. The Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies are dedicated to perpetrating a violent and tyrannical society upon the freedom-loving people of Afghanistan. We cannot and must not permit them to re-establish a safe-haven in that nation that would allow them to plot attacks against American families and our allies around the world.

“From my visits with our troops in Afghanistan, I have seen the progress we have made in training Afghani military and police. I have seen the hard work of coalition forces and the Afghani government to build that nation’s infrastructure. We are creating the foundation of a society that will no longer be a breeding ground for radical extremism.

“We must remain vigilant and dedicated to our mission in Afghanistan. In the Global War on Terrorism, there are many fronts and many missions that demand our attention. The men and women of our Armed Forces will not take their eye off the ball. They are committed to winning this war, and we should support their efforts. I am convinced the best way to protect American families at home is to defeat terrorists overseas.

“Again, I wish to thank Chairman Ackerman and my fellow committee members for this opportunity, and I look forward to the testimony from our witnesses.”

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