Trump will find there is no quick fix to end war in Afghanistan

In a rare prime time national address outlining his Afghanistan strategy on Monday night, US President Donald Trump ruled out a quick withdrawal of US troops, saying that a rapid exit of the US troops would have unacceptable consequences and “create a vacuum” that the Islamic State and al-Qaida would fill.

Instead, Trump is expected to beef up the United States’ military presence in the country. Although Trump stopped short of mentioning a number, he authorized US Defense Secretary James Mattis in June to deploy as many as 3,900 extra troops.

Currently, the US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, part of a roughly-13,500-strong international force that is training and assisting Afghan forces to fight the Taliban, and conducting counter-terrorism missions. But, even with the proposed increase in US troops, the Taliban is unlikely to be contained, let alone rooted out.

Yet compared with what the US has done to fight terrorists in the Middle East in recent years, the new US strategy does represent a greater willingness to shoulder more security responsibilities in Afghanistan. Military aid and airstrikes, but no ground troops, marked the previous US administration’s strategy in the Middle East, with Barack Obama unwilling to maintain a military presence in the region.

Despite that, much headway has been made this year in the international campaign against the Islamic State terrorists in both Iraq and Syria. Under such a backdrop, a greater US presence in Afghanistan will help Afghan forces improve the country’s security situation and prevent defeated IS terrorists from entering into the country and colluding with the Taliban.

Before it plunges deeper into another Afghanistan quagmire, the US should truly reflect upon its anti-terror strategy and cooperate with other countries in jointly fighting terrorism.