Gillibrand calls for quick drawdown in Afghanistan

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is renewing her call for a quick troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

Gillibrand says the United States needs to focus its fight against al Qaeda's multi-national terror networks and that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is an unreliable partner.

The U.S. presence in Afghanistan has become notably more tense since the recent shooting rampage blamed on an Army sergeant.

Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the push for the drawdown Sunday afternoon in her New York City office. She was joined by veterans.

Gillibrand wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to request broader peace talks including not just the Taliban, but women and civic groups as way to build broader support.

"The current approach in Afghanistan has stretched our resources too thin and has limited us when new missions call for leadership," said Gillibrand.

But Long Island congressman Peter King, who chairs the House homeland security committee, says leaving Afghanistan right now would be a mistake.

"Every death is tragic, but to pull out now would leave us vulnerable to another 9/11 attack," said King. "Al Qaeda is for the most part out of the country, but they can come back in almost immediately when our forces are gone."

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