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Published December 24, 2015
Rep. Barbara Lee wants the Obama administration to study ways to end the war in Afghanistan, even though President Obama and his Cabinet were meeting this week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss how to escalate the battle against the Taliban in that country.
The California Democrat, one of the most anti-war and liberal members of the House, offered an amendment Thursday to a war funding bill to request a study by the end of the year from the administration on ways to get out of Afghanistan.
She eventually withdrew the amendment, but not before she aired her concerns that the United States is moving "deeper in Afghanistan" without an exit strategy -- echoing lawmakers' concerns during the height of the Iraq war about that military operation, which is now being scaled back.
Lee said the approach to Afghanistan is "hopelessly flawed" and that the U.S. should have an exit strategy to "minimize our losses." She complained that the $94 billion emergency spending bill for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan "favors the military and combat over diplomacy."
Obama indicated Wednesday that U.S. withdrawal is not a priority at this point. After meeting with Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, he pledged a "lasting commitment" to the governments of both nations.
"The road ahead will be difficult. There will be more violence and there will be setbacks," Obama said. "But let me be clear. The United States has made a lasting commitment to defeat Al Qaeda but also to support the democratically elected, sovereign governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. That commitment will not waver, and that support will be sustained."
FOX News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-rep-lee-calls-for-plan-to-end-afghanistan-war