BOYDA: VISITING KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS STATIONED IN AFGHANISTAN HIGHLIGHT OF TRIP

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) returned yesterday from a bi-partisan congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Vienna, Austria.

The purpose of the trip (September 3 - September 8) was to refocus America’s military efforts on the defeat of Al Qaeda and other terrorists in Afghanistan and enact policies to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Violence in Pakistan’s northwest border areas has impacted Afghanistan. The delegation came away united in believing the U.S. should continue to work with Pakistan to defeat the growing insurgency in that region.

Boyda said, “Security in this region is critical to global security and to the strategic interests of America. While remote, Afghanistan and Pakistan are strategically positioned between Iran, Russia, and China; countries that are ready to leverage their influence if we and our allies fail to lead. That makes it all the more important for the U.S. to work with our NATO allies and the Afghan people to develop and strengthen their own capabilities to defeat terrorists in that region.”

It was the consensus of the CODEL that the United States must also work with allies to strengthen the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), because there is no greater danger than the potential spread of nuclear weapons technology. The delegation said, “We cannot tackle the challenges of tomorrow with yesterday's tools. Reducing the threat of nuclear proliferation is a global imperative that requires U.S. leadership, and we are committed to acting to achieve that.”

During the CODEL, Rep. Boyda had the opportunity to visit with soldiers from Kansas stationed in Afghanistan. Boyda said, “I also had the privilege to have lunch with three Kansas soldiers. One was from the Second District, two were from Kansas City. They are in good spirits. We took pictures and talked about home. I wrote down their parents’ phone numbers. These soldiers are representative of our nation’s finest and I look forward to calling their moms and dads to let them know that they are safe and thinking of their family at home.”

Also among the congressional delegation: Representatives Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Thomas Petri (R-WI), Jon Porter (R-NV), and David Reichert (R-WA).

In Afghanistan, the CODEL met with President Hamid Karzai, General David McKiernan, Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and Major General Robert Cone, Commanding General of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A). The group also visited a Regional Training Center in Jalalabad for developing the Afghan National Police force.

In Pakistan the CODEL met with Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of the Army Staff, and Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai, Director General of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which maintains responsibility for the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

In Vienna the CODEL met with the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Tiber Toth, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed El Baradei.