Udall talking with an American soldier at a base in Argendab, Afghanistan. (Courtesy photo)
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall’s trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan last week “only reinforced his concerns about the wisdom of escalating the war,” The Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting.
Udall said the United States has a “good general” in charge of its war efforts there, and the senator said he wants the United States and Afghanistan to succeed, but he remains “concerned with the reliability of our partner in the region,” the newspaper reported.
“It’s a tremendous human, military and financial cost of an open-ended commitment,” Udall said on a call with reporters, according to the newspaper. “Therefore, I remain skeptical of a continued build-up. I’m unconvinced that sending 30,000 more troops into harm’s way improves the situation or advances our national security interests.”
“The reality on the ground is that rebuilding Afghanistan is a monumental effort,” Udall said. “We can’t do it all. And the more we do, the more dependent they become.”
I was on a call last week with Udall during which he said he remained skeptical but didn’t go into details, but I was unable to take part in Tuesday’s call, during which Udall went into more depth.
You can get the details from The New Mexican, or listen to the full interview. You can also view more photos from Udall’s trip.