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U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, right, greets Sen. Maria Cantwell prior to a markup hearing on Keystone XL pipeline before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee January 8, 2015 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong, Getty Images North America)

WASHINGTON Fresh from an eight-day, six-country tour that included hotspots throughout the Middle East, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Monday that it was imperative that American leaders avoid repeating in Afghanistan many of the mistakes that were made when the U.S. military left Iraq.

Specifically, the Colorado Republican applauded as "wise" the recent White House decision to slow the drawdown of troops and advisers from Afghanistan, and he urged a continued U.S. presence there.

"What I don't want to see happening is a collapse of Afghanistan like we saw with Iraq," said Gardner, pointing to the violent rise of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the region. "We have to make sure we can get the Afghanis to a point to where they can defend themselves."

Asked then how long he thought U.S. military personnel should remain in Afghanistan which he estimated at 10,000 in strength the freshman senator demurred to the Pentagon and White House. "That's something that our president and commanders and leaders on the ground will work through," he said.

His position on Afghanistan troop levels forceful in some ways but deferential or amorphous in others is representative of how Gardner, new to both the Senate and the Foreign Relations committee, is approaching his growing role as policymaker in U.S. global affairs.

The eight-day trip, to Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom, was designed to connect the rookie senator with world leaders and also help him bone up on his global affairs while traveling with other U.S. leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"It was an intense seven to eight days," said Gardner, who added that he took copious, handwritten notes throughout the international trip.

And at every stop, he said, loomed the issue of Iran and its tentative deal with U.S. and international negotiators.

"It came up everywhere," he said. "In every single meeting that we had."

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Cory Gardner: Avoid Iraq mistake in Afghanistan

ISIS fighters recruiting in Afghanistan

The Afghan government is facing a growing threat of ISIS militants in its country.

The flag is crude, handmade, but the message is clear -- allegiance to ISIS in Afghanistan. And the timing -- with America withdrawing, the Taliban fractured, young men disillusioned and angry -- could not be worse.

A group of fighters in Afghanistan agreed to be filmed by a CNN cameraman parading their ISIS flags in a valley not far to the south of Kabul, the Afghan capital. They are the first images of their kind shot by western media inside Afghanistan.

The rise of ISIS is an issue that the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, has termed a "terrible threat."

U.S. officials CNN has spoken to have voiced their concern about the potential for an ISIS presence.

Under-strength ... for now

One U.S. military officer said the militants currently have limited capability but are trying to recruit disillusioned Taliban in several areas around the country's east and south.

"There has been some very small numbers of recruitment that has happened," Colonel J B Vowell, told CNN.

"You have disaffected Taliban who are losing politically and some of the younger, newer fighters are moving to that camp. It doesn't mean it's operationally better. We are concerned about it -- resources, weapons, capabilities. (But) I don't see an operational effect."

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ISIS makes inroads into Afghanistan Taliban

By Nick Paton Walsh CNN

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The flag is crude, handmade, but the message is clear -- allegiance to ISIS in Afghanistan. And the timing -- with America withdrawing, the Taliban fractured, young men disillusioned and angry -- could not be worse.

A group of fighters in Afghanistan agreed to be filmed by a CNN cameraman parading their ISIS flags in a valley not far to the south of Kabul, the Afghan capital. They are the first images of their kind shot by western media inside Afghanistan.

The rise of ISIS is an issue that the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, has termed a "terrible threat."

U.S. officials CNN has spoken to have voiced their concern about the potential for an ISIS presence.

Under-strength ... for now

One U.S. military officer said the militants currently have limited capability but are trying to recruit disillusioned Taliban in several areas around the country's east and south.

"There has been some very small numbers of recruitment that has happened," Colonel J B Vowell, told CNN.

"You have disaffected Taliban who are losing politically and some of the younger, newer fighters are moving to that camp. It doesn't mean it's operationally better. We are concerned about it -- resources, weapons, capabilities. (But) I don't see an operational effect."

In the valley, the men display their weapons, and practice high kicks. They are a little breathless at altitude, a little clumsy. They are all masked, all in military-style uniforms. Our cameraman described how locals seemed to keep their distance from them.

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Afghanistan's changing of the guard: ISIS recruits in Taliban territory

President Obama Announces Slowdown of Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan
The plane was carrying 144 passengers -- including 2 babies -- and six crew members, Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann said at a news conference today. One black box has been recovered, ...

By: Karima Studio

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President Obama Announces Slowdown of Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan - Video

Obama delays U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
President Obama announced today that the nearly 10000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will come home more slowly than originally planned. Major Garrett reports on the change in policy.

By: CBS Evening News

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Obama delays U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan - Video