Pennsylvania GOP delegation backs Trump’s anti-terrorism plan in Afghanistan

Pennsylvania’s federal contingency of Republican lawmakers said this week they fully support President Donald Trump’s renewed U.S. policy in Afghanistan to thwart terrorists and end the war there.

Trump on Monday pledged to follow the advice of military experts to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and will focus on building regional partnerships with India and Pakistan. The president also said he plans to change the rules of military engagement by letting conditions on the ground dictate future strategies rather than relying on arbitrary withdrawal deadlines, a strategy that the Pennsylvania representatives found particularly appealing.

“We should not facilitate a date of departure for terrorists or organizations with an intent to cause the United States harm,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello in a statement released Tuesday.

Costello agreed it’s appropriate to choose an approach that utilizes diplomatic, economic and military options, what he called both soft and hard power.

“We must also make sure Pakistan is willing to assist us in our essential counterterrorism goals in the region, which means Pakistan must reject any tolerance for militants or terrorists,” Costello said.

“These are each important parts of a strategy for rooting out terrorists from safe harbor, so they cannot develop attacks on U.S. citizens or our homeland, and for Afghanistan to deliver its own future,” Costello added.

In fact, the danger of exiting Afghanistan and leaving the country defenseless against terrorist groups is “too dire and deadly to ignore,” U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly pointed out on Tuesday.

“Frustration, while understandable, is no excuse for failure,” Kelly said. “Surrender in the face of this evil enemy, whether in Afghanistan or elsewhere, is not an acceptable option.

“As long as [terrorists] crave and plot our destruction, we must stay committed to ensuring theirs. With a more focused goal and smarter strategy now in place, I believe that a lasting victory is more achievable than ever,” Kelly said. “Our troops are trained to fight and win wars, and that’s what our government must help them do.”

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that previous U.S. policy has shown that not having a long-term strategy for peace creates a vacuum “that makes the world a deadlier place and can extend the war on terror for years.”

That has been the case for America in Afghanistan, where the ongoing 16-year conflict has become the longest-running in U.S. history.

Shuster said that as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, he will work with Trump, U.S. Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis and top military experts to ensure the needs of the nation’s troops are met “so the United States can win, and win completely, in Afghanistan.”