U.S. Representative John Boehner
Afghanistan Troop Level Announcement

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement on the announcement by President Obama that 9,800 U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan after a bilateral security agreement is signed between the two countries:

“For more than a decade, our troops and civilian personnel have fought to bring peace and security to Afghanistan – and to ensure it can never again be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack the United States. I welcome the President’s announcement today that he will support a troop presence in Afghanistan next year that will have both a counter-terrorism mission and a train, advice, and assist mission. After my visit last month, I said that I hoped Washington and Kabul would always be worthy of the shared sacrifice and effort the Afghan people and the international community have made. The biggest take-away from my visit is that of all the challenges facing our strategy for Afghanistan, the most potentially damaging and completely avoidable is quitting just short of the goal line.

“It has been my long-standing position that input from our commanders about the conditions on the ground should dictate troop decisions, and not an arbitrary number from Washington. I am pleased that today’s decision supports our military’s request for forces, but I look forward to hearing more specifics on how the proposed troop number will adequately cover the defined missions as well as provide appropriate force protection for our military and civilian personnel. Many Americans have sacrificed to secure our strategic goals in Afghanistan, and far too many have lost their lives or suffered life-altering wounds. Ambassador Cunningham and General Dunford should be commended for leading the effort that has enabled us to get to this point, and I thank them, as well as the men and women serving under them, for their steadfast service. The proposed missions are worthy of support, and I hope moving forward that the President will make a strong, robust case to the American people.”

NOTE: Three weeks ago, Speaker Boehner wrote an op-ed on CNN.com entitled “Don’t Repeat Iraq Mistakes in Afghanistan” on the need to reach a bilateral security agreement to secure the gains we’ve made and complete our mission successfully.