 Afghanistan is an important ally in a dangerous neighborhood, where the threat to U.S. from terrorism is still quite high. Al-Qaeda is still present in Afghanistan, and ISIS is now gaining a foothold. The best way for the U.S. to protect its interests is to support Afghanistan through both civilian and military assistance over time. This summer, we committed to four years of continued military assistance and civilian assistance that would maintain the current levels of support through 2020. This is essential for Afghanistan, both to enable that country, to build up its security forces and to improve its government so that it can be a strong negotiator with the Taliban and its conflict. Afghanistan wasn't mentioned very much by either campaign in the presidential election, but when the Trump administration assembles its foreign policy team, Afghanistan should be a top priority. We've seen what happens when we withdraw our forces from a state that is fragile and facing a terrorist threat. When U.S. troops left Iraq, ISIS gained a foothold and now is the number one terrorist threat the world faces. We can avoid this problem in Afghanistan by maintaining our civilian and our military assistance over time. This will enable the Afghan government to build its strength so that it can provide security for its own people and achieve a durable peace.