Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Meet with Women Troops and Afghan Women on Mother's Day

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Kabul, Afghanistan - Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a Congressional Delegation to the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan today, where they received a briefing from the commander of the South Region of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

To honor women on Mother's Day, the delegation then went to Qalat, in the province of Zabul, where they had a working lunch with female troops, and U.S. AID and non-governmental personnel who work with Afghan women.

The delegation then participated in a roundtable discussion with a diverse group of Afghan women and met the governor of Zabul Province.

After flying back to the ISAF base in Kandahar, the delegation met with female Marines who engage with Afghan civilians in the field, and met with sexual assault response coordinators. The delegation concluded the visit by meeting with female troops who are mothers, and in some cases, grandmothers.

"As I told President Karzai last night, the sacrifice and service of our men and women in uniform, including mothers who missed spending Mother's Day with their children, demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the security of Afghanistan and the security of the United States," Speaker Pelosi said.

In addition to Speaker Pelosi, other members of the Congressional Delegation are: Susan Davis of California, Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel; Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, Member of the Armed Services Committee; Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts, Member of the Armed Services Committee; and Donna Edwards of Maryland, Member of the Science and Technology Committee.

The delegation arrived in the Middle East on Friday and visited American troops at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, part of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The delegation will now travel to Germany to visit troops there.