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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump's decision has leaked. 2 sources told me Trump is going w/ consensus plan: few extra thousan
Monica Webster Retweeted
Kate Brannen?Verified account @K8brannen 30m30 minutes ago
Trump's decision has leaked. Two sources told me Trump is going w/ consensus plan: few extra thousand troops.
Link to tweet
https://www.axios.com/axios-sneak-peek-2475058606.html
Axios Sneak Peek
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1 big thing: Trump's Afghanistan decision
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Trump will address the nation on his Afghanistan war strategy tomorrow at 9 p.m. from Fort Myer in Arlington, VA. It's one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency, and it comes after Trump met with his national security team on Friday at Camp David.
Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sunday, per Reuters: "I am very comfortable that the strategic process was sufficiently rigorous and did not go in with a pre-set position."
The stakes: Should Trump order a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, advisers believe he'd all but ensure the Taliban completes its takeover of the country. Al-Qaeda and ISIS would be allowed to flourish, and you'd have a terrorist launching pad similar to, or potentially worse than, before 9/11.
Trump's decision hasn't leaked; but I can illuminate some of the private conversations leading up to it, from senior administration sources and former officials close to the Pentagon:
Trump's top national security advisers all agree the only way they'll win their missions in Afghanistan is to modestly increase troop levels, keep training the Afghan military, and keep a strong CIA and special forces presence to run aggressive counter-terrorism operations.
Two missions:..........................
greeny2323
(590 posts)Starting first with the ones on Fox News?
leftstreet
(36,108 posts)He won't get big ratings for something like that!
riversedge
(70,236 posts)unitedwethrive
(1,997 posts)still waiting.
tblue37
(65,377 posts)leftstreet
(36,108 posts)etc
BigmanPigman
(51,593 posts)I hope he goes off message and teleprompter and says another batch of crazy lies to make his approval ratings sink even lower.
Eyeball_Kid
(7,432 posts)bearsfootball516
(6,377 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)Ask Alexander the Great, the Mongols, the British, and the Soviet armies, they all failed, just as our efforts have to date. The military sees only military solutions, and that's their job, but counter-terrorism plans need a diplomatic approach that combines policing, political and economic measures.
Trump is a one trick pony. He has no foreign policies in place and there is no one at State qualified to step in, all he has is his generals, and the only thing they can give him in more wars.
Volaris
(10,271 posts)The keys are education and economic growth. You get the NEGATIVE/OPPOSITE via military occupation.
IF we were using that military for a 20-year plan to facilitate the education of a new generation of afghan government and citizenery,I might buy into it...provided the Congress were willing to shell out for what was really needed. As it stands now.. .
Nope. No fucking way. All he's going to accomplish is to get good people on both sides killed for No Good Reason. Russia must be laughing their fool heads off.
uponit7771
(90,344 posts)LuckyLib
(6,819 posts)Ccarmona
(1,180 posts)Foolish policy by a bunch of war mongers. We never internally examine why Groups such as the Taliban & ISIS hate the US. Pull out now!! After 16 years it's apparent that unless this Country's leadership changes its attitudes, we will be mired in a no win war. It's Vietnam all over again, except it's an all-volunteer War.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)As long as more come back home I'll be happy
malaise
(269,006 posts)traffickers
Get the fuck out