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Durbin: War Focus Shifting to Afghanistan
U.S. military commitments in the Middle East are changing, says U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).

The time when Iraq can defend itself and not need U.S. forces anymore is drawing near, Durbin says. In fact, according to reports, political and military officials are discussing the defense of their country without mentioning the United States.

But Afghanistan is a different story, "a bigger challenge," because of the proximity of Afghanistan to Pakistan and the prevalence of the Taliban in both countries. "I think we let that slide too long," he said. "We focused on Iraq to the exclusion of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan has now become a much, much bigger challenge."

Strictly speaking it is NATO forces trying to keep peace in Afghanistan, but Durbin notes that it is the U.S. that is supplying the vast majority of those soldiers.

Durbin says he hopes the military commitment in Afghanistan lasts only a few more years, but leaving prematurely would result in Taliban dominance, the condition that precipitated the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. by al Qaeda.

(Illinois Radio Network)
06 21 09 by Newsroom
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