[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 9, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H14377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        LESSONS FROM AFGHANISTAN

  (Mr. OLSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I just returned from a trip to Afghanistan to 
assess the conditions on the ground. I want to update my colleagues on 
what I saw.
  First of all, our military leadership has expressed confidence in our 
ability to achieve victory, and they need the additional troops 
promised by President Obama. The bigger problem lies with Afghanistan 
itself.
  President Karzai must do the following to ensure success in 
Afghanistan: end the corruption, provide credible Afghan security 
forces, eliminate the illicit drug production, and grow the Afghan 
economy. These conditions are paramount to achieving victory when the 
U.S. military departs the country. And finally, Pakistan has to step up 
and stop serving as a safe harbor for terrorist insurgents.
  The morale of our troops are high, and our commanders on the ground 
are confident that we can win if Afghanistan and Pakistan achieve these 
goals. None of these goals are easy, but they are crucial to the 
success of the security of Afghanistan.

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