Congressman Paul Ryan says the weekend tragedy of 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children being killed by an American soldier, is “regretful” but not a reason to pick up and leave the country after years of policy work.
“We are sticking with our timeline because to have a precipitous withdrawal could cave the whole thing in,” Ryan says, referring to the stability of the country. He also says it’s important to give to the Afghan government a chance to succeed in what could become a “hotbed” for terrorism.
It’s his conclusion that the US can have “a limited footprint” in Afghanistan, to counter another potential attack on the US.
The Janesville Republican says Afghanistan is a tribal culture, unlike Iraq, where a new central government could replace the old one. He says trying to do the same thing would be like “trying to jam a square peg into a round hole.”
Tom Karkow-WRJN
