Inhofe, Lankford React to Trump’s Afghanistan Plan

Oklahoma U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford both believe that President Trump’s new Afghanistan plan will need time to work. Trump outlined his new way forward for Afghanistan and south Asia in a national address on Monday night.

“A stable and secure Afghanistan is not a breeding ground for terrorism. I look forward to the administration continuing to lay out a comprehensive strategy that leads to an Afghanistan that can defend itself and root out extremism,” said Lankford.

Inhofe praised the President for working with his Cabinet to develop the new plan.

“Tonight, the president reaffirmed our commitment to victory in Afghanistan and marked an encouraging new beginning in the U.S. military’s approach to supporting our Afghan partners in the fight against the Taliban and ISIS. I thoroughly support the president’s strategy, backed by Secretary of Defense Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, to provide the necessary support to enable the Afghan National Security Forces to free Afghanistan from the tyranny of terrorism and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorists who want to do us harm,” said Inhofe.

“The president has also been clear that we must put pressure on our regional partners, specifically Pakistan and India, and work with us to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hotbed of international terrorist activity, as before September 11th. This new strategy will begin to correct the course from eight years under the Obama administration of premature drawdowns and ambivalence to the mission,” Inhofe added.

Oklahoma’s senior Senator also wants the Senate to get to work on making sure the U.S. military is ready for the challenge.

“Tonight’s announcement only makes it more vital that the Senate promptly take up consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act when we return in September to ensure that our service members in Afghanistan and around the world have the training, resources and equipment they need to complete their mission.”

You can watch President Trump’s address below.


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