UPDATE: Senator Warner spoke at length about his trip with reporter Mike Gooding of WVEC/Ch. 3 in Norfolk. You can view the interview in its entirety here.

Senator Warner is on the way back to the United States after spending the week in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, after meeting with Virginia-based troops and receiving briefings from top military commanders and diplomats about our on-going engagement in the troubled region. 

He made the trip with Senators Pat Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse.  Earlier this week, they traveled to Iraq for a Memorial Day weekend visit with the troops and briefings in Baghdad.

On Monday, the senators went to Pakistan and met with Prime Minister Yousouf Raza Gilani and U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson.  The prime minister briefed the senators regarding anti-Taliban operations underway in northwest Pakistan. 

In Afghanistan, he made stops in Kabul and Kandahar.  He discussed current military operations and reconstruction efforts with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and U.S. General David McKiernan, the commander of the multi-national force.

He also got a chance to meet with officials from the Afghan government, including President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan ministers of finance, agriculture, reconstruction, and rural development:

"President Karzai and his ministers asked for continued American technical support to build economic capacity, especially in the areas of finance and agriculture. Afghanistan must continue to assume more responsibility for its own economic development so it can feed its people and continue on a path to self-sufficiency."

The delegation visited the Kabul Military Training Center where international security and assistance forces are training new recruits of the Afghanistan National Army.  He had lunch with several Navy personnel from Norfolk:

"These U.S. trainers emphasized that they really enjoyed their mission because they felt they were having a direct impact on training the Afghans.  They say one of their biggest challenges in training the Afghan security forces is illiteracy, because more than 80 percent of the recruits lack basic reading and writing skills."

The senators also got a chance to see the progress being made by U.S. and international relief organizations who are working to help civilians rebuild their homes after decades of war.  They met one family who recently moved into their new home:

"The family elder, Sayed Mohammad and his grandson, Zabihullah, showed me his new home and I had the privilege of breaking bread with them. They said they were grateful to the American people for our efforts to help his family recover from the conflict, including a small loan that will help revive the family business."

Before leaving the country, the delegation visited troops in the more dangerous southern province around Kandahar, where the Taliban started taking over Afghanistan 13 years ago.

Senator Warner met with more Virginia-based military men and women and heard their candid thoughts on how best to build-up capacity in Afghanistan: 

“The troops I met with felt they were doing important work and believed in the mission.  I was very impressed with their skill and dedication to their mission in such a dangerous place.  They all deserve our thanks.”