WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, today released the following statement after returning from a nine-day trip to South Asia and the Middle East that included stops in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar:

“The trip I just returned from to India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar was informative and challenging. I learned a great deal about the region, our interests there, and how best to further American interests in those countries.” said Senator King. “I also got a chance to meet with a lot of people from Maine – soldiers who were involved in the air war in Syria and Iraq, as well as a group stationed in Afghanistan. It was great to have a chance to sit down with them behind closed doors and get their unvarnished views on what’s been going on. I think they were surprised to see their Senator pop-up at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, for example.

“There was a lot of serious discussion on the trip about ISIS, about what’s going on in the region, about how to structure our withdrawal from Afghanistan so that the country has a real chance at success, and also about working with those countries on a wide variety of issues in order to try to stabilize this region and solidify our alliances.”

King was traveling with Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. The trip began with a four-day visit to India, which included stops in New Delhi and Mumbai. Senators King and Kaine met with senior Indian defense and foreign affairs officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Members of Parliament and leading strategic commentators. They discussed the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the United States and ways to continue to advance the relationship, including increased economic cooperation and closer defense ties.

The Senators also visited a USAID project site that supports improved sanitation efforts in New Delhi, and met with leading Indian and American business leaders as well as visited the Mazagon Docks, a publicly-owned shipyard in Mumbai. Additionally, they paid their respects to victims of the 26/11 terrorist attack and visited Mani Bhavan, a home to Mahatma Gandhi whenever he was in Mumbai that is now a museum.

The Senators then spent two days in Afghanistan visiting with U.S. troops and U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as meeting the leaders of the new Afghan government. The Senators were the first members of Congress to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

The Senators spent time with servicemembers and constituents in Kabul and Bagram Airfield to discuss their mission and thank them for their service and dedication. They also met with Afghan special forces at Camp Moorehead and spent time with Ambassador McKinley and International Security Assistance Force Commander General Campbell to hear the latest on the political and security situation, as well as the military mission in Afghanistan.

In Pakistan, the Senators met with U.S. Embassy officials as well as high-level Pakistani officials. These officials included Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, and a number of Parliamentarians to discuss a range of topics including regional cooperation and security.  

During the Pakistan visit, the Senators also discussed relations between India and Pakistan, encouraging deeper cooperation and resolution of tensions through dialogue. The delegation encouraged Pakistan to support security in Afghanistan and reaffirmed the U.S. Government’s desire to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to improve security in the region. 

The final leg of the journey was Qatar, where they met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and visited Al Udeid Air Base, home of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC). The CAOC functions as the “nerve center” for the ongoing air campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria and for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

During their meeting with the Prime Minister, the Senators discussed Qatar’s important role in the coalition against ISIL and urged continued close cooperation between our two countries. At Al Udeid Air Base, the Senators met with servicemembers from Virginia and Maine and received briefings from Major General Jeffrey Lofgren, the Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT), on current air operations over Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.  They discussed the challenges of the ongoing air campaign against ISIL and the success of the drawdown of U.S. personnel and equipment via airlift from Afghanistan.  Critical to the ongoing campaigns in the region, nearly 10,000 U.S. servicemembers operate from Al Udeid Air Base as part of USAFCENT and the CAOC.

Photo 1: Senator King at Bagram Airfield with Major General Steve Townsend, Commanding General of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division and Commander of Regional Command-East at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

Photo 2: Senators King and Kaine with Major General Steve Townsend at Bagram Airfield.

Photo 3: Senators King and Kaine with Major General Steve Townsend at Bagram Airfield.

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