WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today said that “the American people have not been given a balanced view about (our) success in Afghanistan.”

Wicker’s remarks came during a committee hearing on the situation in Afghanistan with Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force.

“A recent public opinion poll in Afghanistan shows that a large majority of Afghans believe the conditions in the country have improved over the last decade,” Wicker said. “The American people are clearly not being given the entire picture of the success story there.”

A plurality of Americans now believe the United States made a mistake in sending troops to fight in Afghanistan in 2001. The poll, conducted by Gallup last month, shows 49 percent of Americans hold that view.

“The sacrifice made by our troops and the American taxpayers has resulted in tangible positive accomplishments for the people in this region and for American interests. We have the opportunity to build a historic partnership that will enable us to look out for our national security interests but do so in a way that hands the fight over to the locals. We must not lose our resolve.”

(To view Senator Wicker’s comments click here or on the image below.)