Issue Position: Afghan War

Issue Position

HAGEDORN: IT IS TIME TO END THE AFGHAN WAR

First District Republican Congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn of Blue Earth voiced strong opposition to a security agreement negotiated by the Obama administration and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan that would continue U.S. military involvement for another decade or longer.

"The Afghanistan War has become a war of diminishing returns," said Hagedorn. "Rather than prolong U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and sacrifice more blood and treasure, as President Obama has proposed, we must end the war, bring our troops safely home and cease throwing good money after bad," he said.

Hagedorn is concerned with several facets of the proposed U.S -- Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement, announced recently by Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. According to news reports, the security arrangement extends U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan for another 10 years or more, commits at least $4 billion in annual military and economic assistance to Afghanistan and tightens already restrictive rules of engagement, something that will likely complicate U.S. troop movements and lead to unnecessary death and injury of American personnel.

"The original purpose for sending U.S. military forces to Afghanistan was noble," said Hagedorn. "The Taliban government and other Islamic terrorist leaders deserved retribution for their role in the September 11th professionalism and effectiveness. Regrettably, at some point America's Afghan policy morphed into an expensive and futile attempt to create Jeffersonian democracy in a land with a long history of Islamic religious dictatorship and authoritarian rule. Looking back, the Bush and Obama administrations have wasted hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars "remodeling' Afghanistan and propping up a central government in a country that is run by tribes."

Hagedorn said restrictive rules of engagement, like those reportedly included in the U.S. -- Afghan agreement, were nothing new. "When our country sends men and women into combat our goal should be swift and total victory and protection of our military personnel. Unfortunately, in many instances the Obama administration has been more concerned with global public perception and the rights of possible terrorists than the security and effectiveness of U.S. troops. The Afghanistan combat veterans with whom I speak relate stories of severe injury or death of soldiers because the United States effectively handcuffed troops and/or blocked effective, timely engagement with the enemy. Mind bogglingly, America's soldiers are often required to perform complex, fast-moving battlefield firefights with drones filming overhead and prosecuting attorneys literally looking over their shoulders."

Hagedorn said Congressman Tim Walz has been silent while overly restrictive rules of engagement led to needless loss of life and injury in Afghanistan. "Tim Walz is proficient at issuing partisan press releases, but on this critical foreign policy and veteran's issue the Congressman has been AWALZ for seven years - Away Without Authorized Leave Zzzz (snoozing)," Hagedorn charged.

"Congressman Walz portrays himself as a veteran's advocate, yet he has neither stood up to President Obama and voiced opposition to the restrictive rules of engagement employed in Afghanistan nor has he taken a position on this critical security agreement that prolongs the Afghan War and places U.S. soldiers in harm's way. Sadly, Tim Walz's failure to stand up to President Obama and fight for military men and women is typical. Congressman Walz's support for veterans consistently ends at the point liberal Democrat politics begins," Hagedorn concluded.

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