Source: NICHOLAS KAMM / Getty
Last night (August 21st) 45 recommitted the U.S. to continuing the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, saying that American forces will fight to win the conflict. According to CNN,
Trump had for years criticized the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan and said we should quickly leave, including during the campaign, but said last night that even though his first instinct had been to withdraw, he’d decided against it, saying that a, quote, “hasty exit” would allow terrorists like ISIS and al-Qaida to fill the void.
The speech was light on details, and didn’t explain how the new approach would be substantively different, and despite pre-speech media reports that Trump had approved 4,000 more troops to be sent to Afghanistan in addition to the 8,400 already there, the president didn’t reveal any troop numbers, and said the administration wouldn’t be doing so.
He said they would shift from a “time-based” approach for how long U.S. forces would stay in Afghanistan to one based on conditions on the ground, making an open-ended commitment as he said he didn’t want to let the enemy know our plans. Trump also spoke about having a regional strategy, calling for cooperation from Pakistan, which harbors elements of the Taliban, and India, and said he will ask our NATO allies for more troops and funding.
Trump further said we must see more progress from the Afghan government, stating that America’s commitment to Afghanistan isn’t a, quote, “blank check.”
It’s been 16 years. If we haven’t won by now, we’re not going to win. I’m just saying.
