GOP Congressman: Afghanistan is a 'medieval' country

Nation-building in Afghanistan is a tough proposition for the United States since it is a "medieval" country, Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) told a local editorial board on Monday afternoon.

The freshman lawmaker said that the a rebuilding project similar to what the U.S. undertook in Iraq would unlikely to achieve success in Afghanistan because the latter is "medieval" and the former is a "20th century country."

Roe added that winning "the war" there would take "decades." He emphasized that the government needs to re-evaluate the mission there and define victory in the conflict against Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.

"I believe unless we're willing to make a commitment to stay there for decades, I’m not sure how you can be successful," he told the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press. "And why do I say that? Well, the whole [gross domestic product] of the country is 20 percent of what it's taking us to put into the military right now. They need basic infrastructure — roads, water, sewer, schools, education. Those take a long time to build."

He said that the military should not pull out troops now because terrorists would be able to establish a stronger foothold in the war-torn nation.

Roe, who said has had met with Congressional colleagues on the issue, argued that the U.S. would be able to prevail over the insurgents militarily. But he seemed bearish on the prospects of tuning the country into a modern democracy.

"Militarily will we win? Absolutely, there's no question in my mind about that. We have the troops, the training, there’s no doubt we'll win the battle. But will you win the war, and the war is are you into nation-building?"