Congressman Ellison's Statement on General Petraeus Replacing General McChrystal as Commander of U.S. and NATO Troops in Afghanistan

Statement

I support President Obama's decision to replace General McChrystal.

However, my primary concern remains the fate of our men and women in uniform serving in Afghanistan. Our main objective must be the safety and security of the United States, effectively fighting terrorism, and ensuring the humanitarian and security needs of the people of Afghanistan.

I have long argued that in order to achieve peace and security in the region, we must have a civilian surge coupled with transitioning our troops out of combat missions and readying them for redeployment.

I continue to call on President Obama and General Petraeus to increase public diplomacy to ensure long term stability, and to bring our troops home from this near decade long conflict.

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