WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed President Obama’s decision to leave 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan for the rest of the year, issuing the following statement:

“President Obama’s initial plan to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan would have been a grave strategic mistake that would have emboldened a resurgent Taliban and rising ISIS, making an unstable security situation even worse and imperiling the national security of the United States. I am glad President Obama reversed his plan and will instead maintain current troop levels, which will assist the Afghan people in their efforts to rid their nation of Islamic extremism.”

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