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Last updated on Friday, March 7, 2008
(UNDATED) - 6th District Congressman Mike Pence is cautiously optimistic about U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq following his recent trip to the region.
Pence says it's entirely possible General Paetrius will ask for troop reductions when he comes to Capitol Hill again next month.
The congressman says success in Iraq cannot be defined as the elimination of violence. He says the goal should be a reduction of violence to the point where the Iraqis are capable of taking care of themselves.
After visiting President Karzai in Afghanistan, Pence says eliminating poppy production remains a critical issue for that country. Afghanistan produces ninety percent of the world's opium used to make cocaine.
The U.S. favors spraying poppy fields to kill the crops. Although pence favors the idea, the congressman says without economic aid, spraying their fields would convert the poppy farmers into Taliban supporters.
This was the congressman's sixth visit to Iraq and his second to Afghanistan, but it was the first time he visited both countries in the same trip.
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