KABUL - Influential American senators have sought a comprehensive congressional debate on the conflict in Afghanistan.
The call comes hard on the heels of a Washington Post report that three US administrations consistently tried to hide the truth about the war.
Senator Rand Paul said in a statement: “After 19 years, we need to have a full, open debate on whether or not we should still be at war.”
The Kentucky Republican lawmaker, commenting on the state of the US military campaign in Afghanistan, said: “This is not the war we voted for in 2001.”
Paul’s view was echoed by his colleague Senator Josh Hawley, who urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on the falsehoods reported by The Washington Post.
Congressman Max Rose, a New York Democrat who has served in Afghanistan, demanded an immediate pullout of US troops from Afghanistan. “The time to end this war and bring our troops home honourably is now.”
Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stressed: “We must end the vicious, lethal cycle of misinformation and unspecified, unsupported strategies.”
The Connecticut Democrat also called for public hearings with US Defence Secretary Mark T. Esper and other officials. (Pajhwok)