WASHINGTON, April 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday issued the following statement after President Joe Biden moved to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September: 

“I applaud President Biden for making the brave and right decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and bring an end to the longest war in our country’s history. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to every U.S. and coalition servicemember who has served in Afghanistan since 2001, and we will never forget the over 2,300 U.S. servicemembers who gave their lives there. We also remember the over 100,000 Afghan civilians who have been killed in this war. The United States must remain committed to diplomatic, economic and humanitarian support for Afghanistan even as we bring this military intervention to an end.

“We must also make sure that in the future the United States uses military force only when necessary to protect our national security and when the objective is clear and achievable, and with the informed consent of the American people and the authorization of Congress.”