SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says he supported beginning the war in Afghanistan, and he supported it ending.
But, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, the Democrat says he never wants to see another war go on forever, and he’s proposed legislation to that end.
“There should be a deadline in terms of the authorization of the use of military force,” said Durbin. “We can discuss exactly the circumstances, but once we have given that authorization, it should not be open-ended and everlasting. It ought to really reflect what’s going on on the ground.”
Durbin says he’s appalled at the comments some of his colleagues have made regarding whether or not the country should welcome refugees from Afghanistan now that the 20-year war there has officially ended. He says it’s possible Illinois will see at least some of those refugees, at some point.
“There are many who are going through processing now in third [party] countries,” Durbin said. “As they go through the initial stages of review, they will ultimately be transported to the United States, where they will need to be separated for some period of time while that review is completed.”
Durbin cites a location in Wisconsin, which he says means it’s possible that the refugees will have to come through O’Hare Airport in Chicago. Durbin says, however, that’s not based on some official report — that’s just his own feeling.
Just because the Afghanistan war is over, Durbin says it doesn’t mean the U.S. efforts to get a prisoner of war who’s a native of Illinois out of that country are ending.
Durbin says his office received a classified briefing on Mark Frerichs’ status earlier this week.
“I can’t share it with you over the telephone, but we are continuing to press forward on this. We are not giving up on Mark Frerichs,” said Durbin. “[Frerichs] is an important part of the American contingent that still remains in that country.”
Frerichs is a U.S. contractor who was abducted last year.
As for other Americans who wanted to get out before Tuesday’s troop withdrawal deadline but didn’t, Durbin says at least 19 warnings were given to those Americans since the beginning of the Biden administration to make the decision to leave. He says as many as two hundred remain.
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