Senator: Diplomat's resignation over Afghanistan war reflects 'frustration'

A senator said the resignation of a Foreign Service officer over the Afghanistan war "reflects a great deal of frustration" regarding the conflict on Tuesday.

Matthew Hoh, an ex-Marine captain, was serving as the top U.S. civilian in a southern Afghanistan province known as a Taliban hotbed. He became the first known official to resign in protest over the Afghan conflict when he stepped down last month.

"I think it underscores the need for evaluation of what's been done there," Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said on ABC's "Top Line" webcast. "Unfortunately, four our five years ago, it was a much different place in terms of security, in terms of potential, in terms of what we could have done."

Reed, who is a senior member of the the Armed Services Committee, traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan earlier this month and has played a significant role regarding Afghanistan policy.

In his letter, Hoh wrote, "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan ... I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."

The senator's announcement comes on a day when October was declared to be the deadliest month on record for Americans in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, eight American troops were killed in two seperate insurgent attacks.

Reed stressed that the Obama administration needs to take time to "step back and undertake a careful review of our policy," in light of the resignation.

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