In other congressional testimony, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the Obama administration’s recent acknowledgment of holding preliminary talks with the Taliban.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “The United States has a broad range of contacts at many levels across Afghanistan and the region that we are leveraging to support this effort, including very preliminary outreach to members of the Taliban. This is not a pleasant business, but a necessary one, because history tells us that a combination of military pressure, economic opportunity and an inclusive political and diplomatic process is the best way to end insurgencies.”