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US House Democrats Demand Trump Officials Testify on Continuing War in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House National Security Subcommittee is demanding testimony from Trump administration officials on the United States’ strategy in Afghanistan and is threatening to subpoena the departments of State and Defence to end what it calls ongoing obstruction on the issue, committee members said in a letter.
Sputnik
"Representative Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Representative Stephen Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security were joined by Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding testimony... regarding the current US strategy in Afghanistan", the letter said on Monday.

The US public had the right to hear directly from its government about prospects for peace in Afghanistan after nearly two decades of conflict there and whether the country could again become a haven for terrorists, the letter added.

"The Trump administration has repeatedly refused to provide the National Security Subcommittee with information about its handling of America’s longest war", the letter reads.

The letter was signed by Maloney, Lynch, and 13 other Democratic members of Congress, the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform said in a press release.

According to the Committee, recent developments will have significant ramifications for the long-term security and stability of Afghanistan, including the US-Taliban agreement, a subsequent surge in violence committed by the Taliban* against Afghan security forces, and the reduction of US forces in the country.

*Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries

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