Duane Butcher: US thanks Romania for its courage and commitment in Afghanistan

U.S. Charge D'Affaires ad interim in Bucharest Duane Butcher on Monday thanked Romania and the Romanian troops for a job well done in Afghanistan.

"The United States thanks Romania for its courage and commitment in Afghanistan. Your men and women have made Romania proud. But we also appreciate Romania's willingness to lead in the face of future tests of the Alliance — from the threat of ballistic missiles from rogue states, to Russian military intervention — for the sake of international peace and security," Duane Butcher says in a release sent to AGERPRES.

He also mentions the fact he accompanied Prime Minister Ponta to Afghanistan on June 29, where he congratulated "Romania's troops for concluding, with distinction and honor, Romania's 12-year-long combat mission in Afghanistan."

"During this time, Romania's soldiers, gendarmes, and police served courageously, helping dismantle a terrorist network, training Afghanistan's security forces, and defending the Afghan people from the Taliban's brutal insurgency. For over a decade, more than 25,000 of your men and women stood shoulder to shoulder with NATO allies and partners in Afghanistan," the U.S. Charge D'Affaires said, according to the release.

The US official also honoured the sacrifice of the 23 Romanian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan theatre of operations: "Romania's commitment to Afghanistan was not without deep national sacrifice: we honor the 23 soldiers who lost their lives, and the 129 more who were wounded, to make this a safer world for us all."

However, Butcher pointed out this sacrifice was not in vain.

"During that time, Afghanistan has experienced remarkable democratic, social and economic improvements. In 2002 only 900,000 Afghan...