Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said Tuesday she is hopeful for a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban that would end the United States' longest war, but it is important the country not return to being a safe haven for terrorists like it was before the 9/l1 attacks.
"We need to keep our country safe from terrorism, and that's why we're over there," Hassan told Fox News' "America's Newsroom," adding it is important for Afghanistan to develop its own ways to fight terrorism.
However, the United States cannot trust the Taliban and will have to continue to have mechanisms for oversight, accountability, and enforcement in the agreement, Hassan said.
"We do have a very tenuous political situation in Afghanistan," Hassan said. "It will be delicate and important to get details about this agreement, to see what kind of enforcement provisions are in it, and to make sure we either have a partnership with U.N. peacekeepers or our own presence there."
Hassan also discussed the ongoing coronavirus situation, noting there was an all-Senate briefing Tuesday and it is good to see the Trump administration request more funds to help the United States be prepared.
"Most of us think there is a lot more to do and this is not a partisan issue," she said. "Our job is to protect American lives, their liberty, and property, too. Right now with this virus spreading we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to contain the virus but also be prepared for the additional spread."
The United States must be prepared for the disease to spread through entire communities, as it is doing in Italy and Iran, and more resources must be devoted to that, Hassan said.
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