Lindsey Graham: Abandoning Afghanistan Would Risk Another 9/11

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned that if the United States abandons Afghanistan, that would "pave the way" for another 9/11-like terrorist attack.

Graham made his comments in a column posted on the Fox News website on Wednesday.

"As we mark the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Wednesday, we must never forget Afghanistan is where the attacks were planned — and still remains a source of much concern when it comes to America's national security," he wrote.

And Graham added: "If we abandon Afghanistan out of frustration and weariness, we pave the way for another 9/11. If we continue to engage in Afghanistan smartly we can achieve our goal of making sure Afghanistan is never used as a launching pad to attack the American homeland. And we can assume the Afghan people will continue to move away from the darkness of the past."

He noted al Qaeda is still in Afghanistan and ISIS is growing inside the country.

"President [Donald] Trump should insist that the cost to the United States in Afghanistan be dramatically reduced, and he should continue to pursue a peaceful end to the conflict, but only after the Taliban have changed their behavior," he wrote.

And he maintained any Afghan peace deal must allow a continued U.S. presence.

"We owe it to those who lost their lives on 9/11 and the enduring War on Terror to continue to protect our homeland and achieve an honorable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan" he wrote.

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