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The trip was organized by Republican Sen. John McCain
The senators also traveled to Pakistan
A bipartisan group of senators traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates over the Fourth of July holiday, visiting US troops serving overseas as well as meeting with high-level government officials from the three nations.
Lead by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, the delegation included Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island as well as Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and David Perdue of Georgia.
As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain called on the Trump administration to develop a strategy to end troop deployment and achieve victory in Afghanistan.
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The lawmakers met in Kabul with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, according to details posted on McCain’s Twitter account. They additionally met with Gen. John Nicholson, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan – a visit that Warren tweeted was meant as a way to return a favor.
Warren added that Nicholson provided them with an operational update.
“When General Nicholson, our Commanding General in Afghanistan, visited me in DC, I told him I’d like to return the favor,” she tweeted Tuesday.
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During the unannounced trip that spanned between July 3 and July 4, the senators traveled to Wana and Islamabad, Pakistan as well, meeting with the country’s Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz.
Perdue tweeted photos of him meeting with troops, posting on the Fourth of July, “I can’t think of a better way to spend #IndependenceDay than with the women & men fighting every day to defend our freedom.”
McCain also tweeted pictures of the various bases they traveled to. This is the tenth Independence Day McCain has spent with American service members serving in the Middle East. He posted Tuesday, “Wonderful seeing so many outstanding American service members serving in #Afghanistan - we can’t thank them enough for their sacrifice.”
CNN reached out to the senators’ offices but additional details on the trip were not immediately available.
