Obama Contributed to 'Insider Attacks,' Three Senators Charge - East Idaho News
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Obama Contributed to ‘Insider Attacks,’ Three Senators Charge

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Getty 060812 LiebermanMcCain?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1348157743363ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/GettyImages(WASHINGTON) — Three senators who have been highly critical of President Obama’s handling of the war in Afghanistan are accusing the commander of chief’s policies of leading to “insider attacks” on coalition forces that have killed 51 soldiers this year, most of whom are American.

In a statement, Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, along with Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman, maintain that the rush to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces has left U.S. troops unprotected from “insider attacks.”

The lawmakers asserted the White House has “repeatedly deployed fewer forces than our commanders recommended” over the last three years and “is now drawing down those forces in larger numbers and at a faster pace than our commanders advised.”

McCain, Graham and Lieberman said they did agree with the recent decision to suspend joint patrols in an effort to curb Afghan attacks on coalition troops.

At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said in response to the senators’ criticism that while “insider attacks” are very troubling, “U.S. officials are working to protect against such attacks, but the transition process will not be affected.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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