Tom Rooney Opposes Obama Administration on Ending Combat Role in Afghanistan

From his perches onboth the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney took some exception to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta saying on Thursday that the U.S. would head to a noncombat role in Afghanistan next year.

I respectfully urge our commander in chief to reconsider this premature announcement and base any changes in our Afghanistan strategy on the situation on the ground, said Rooney in a statement on Thursday. While our troops have made progress in stabilizing areas of Afghanistan, the Obama administration has not presented any assessment that suggests our military commanders believe the Afghan security forces are prepared to maintain that stability.

We saw in Iraq in 2006, when the country nearly degenerated into civil war, what happens when we move our troops before local security forces are prepared to take over, Rooney added. Before publicly telegraphing a withdrawal date, we need clear evidence that the Afghan security forces are prepared for this transition they arent now, and theres no crystal ball to ensure us they will be a year from now.