Congressman Kevin Cramer issued the following statement after President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.
"While there are no great options when it comes to Afghanistan, President Trump is smart to shift the strategy from one of arbitrary timetables to one based on current conditions on the ground. In Iraq, we've seen what happens when we pull our troops out before the mission is finished -- a vacuum for terrorist groups like ISIS takeover. We can't let that happen again in Afghanistan. I also applaud President Trump for applying pressure to Pakistan to stop harboring terrorists. While Pakistan is an important partner in helping keep the peace, it's time they take decisive action to make clear they do not support terrorist regimes in the region. At the same time, the announcement that the Trump Administration plans to increase cooperation with the country of India couldn't come at a better time. Having strong partnerships across multiple countries only stands to help us achieve our objective of peace in the Middle East."