Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C. said Monday she has a better perspective on the harsh conditions in Afghanistan as she visited the Middle East on her first oversees trip since taking office this year.

Hagan said she was able to spend two days in Afghanistan over the Memorial Day weekend, visiting with U.S. troops and talking with senior officials from both countries. The trip was not disclosed until Monday for security reasons, and she called to speak with reporters from an undisclosed location in the region.

Hagan's delegation, including four other senators, met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. The lawmakers also visited the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, where officials see widespread poppy fields – the flower is grown for opium – and violence as obstacles to reconstruction.

Generals on the ground told the senators that they need time and resources to finish the work there, although Hagan declined to estimate how much longer it would take.

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