McCain: Keep US troops in your prayers

KABUL, Afghanistan — Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) is asking Americans to keep U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan in their prayers this Fourth of July.

{mosads}The Arizona Republican made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Wednesday, where he and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Along with Wednesday’s meeting with the Afghan president, McCain, Graham and Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) met with soldiers stationed at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command here.

U.S. troops from the lawmakers’ respective states, as well as top command brass, took photos and chatted with the congressional delegation at the base, located on the outskirts of the Afghan capital.

The senators were on base to attend a reenlistment ceremony and also met with Marines stationed at the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

Source: Twitter

“Our troops serving in #Afghanistan represent the best of America – let’s keep them in our prayers this 4th of July,” McCain tweeted Thursday.

Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) also posted photos of meetings with U.S. service members in Afghanistan.

The lawmakers’ visit to the joint command comes a day after the latest Taliban attack inside Kabul.

Seven people were killed during the attack on a logistics company near the base, which was the sixth strike against U.S. and allied forces inside Kabul in the last two months.

Taliban insurgents detonated a bomb outside the company’s front gates and attempted to overrun the facility.

All four Taliban gunmen were killed in the failed attack. Two Nepalese contractors, an Afghan guard and two civilians were killed, according to ISAF officials.

The recent spike in violence will likely continue until the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which traditionally marks a temporary lull in the fighting season here.

The attacks, however, represent the strongest test of Afghanistan’s nascent police and military forces, which took control of the country’s security earlier this month.

Tuesday’s raid on the ISAF contractor compound was the third such strike since Afghan National Security Forces took the lead in combat operations from American and NATO troops.

–This report was originally published at 8:32 a.m. and last updated at 5:02 p.m.