Blumenthal: On To Afghanistan

Sen. Richard Blumenthal has left Egypt and is now in Afghanistan.

His office sends an update:

“We are proud and honored to thank our courageous troops for their great service and sacrifice — especially men and women from Connecticut and Rhode Island.  We are pleased that the drawdown of American troops will be accomplished at an accelerated pace, so that the Afghan forces can take over the lead combat role by this spring, as agreed by Presidents Obama and Karzai at their meeting last week. Our discussion with President Karzai during our dinner convinces us that the Afghans are determined to make this significant step successful. The number of American troops remaining after 2014, if any, will depend on the mission and strategy, which we will continue discussing with colleagues and Administration officials.”

Blumenthal is part of Senate delegation that includes U.S. Sen John McCain. While in Afghanistan the group has met  with President Hamid Karzai, U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham, General John Allen, the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, and with Afghan Army commanders in eastern Afghanistan.  They also met with troops serving in Afghanistan from Rhode Island and Connecticut.