Officials: 3,900 troops in Afghan plan
Reinforcements could be deployed within days
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to end America’s longest war and eliminate Afghanistan’s rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. troops, senior officials said Tuesday. The first deployments could take place within days.
Although the Pentagon’s plans are based on 3,900 additional troops, the exact number will vary as conditions change, senior U.S. officials said. Those officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the figures and demanded anonymity.
The top U.S. commander for the Middle East said he expects the first reinforcements to arrive “pretty quickly,” within days or weeks.
“What’s most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season,” Gen. Joseph Votel, who spent last weekend in Afghanistan, told reporters traveling with him to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that, after an effective military effort, a political settlement including some Taliban members might be possible. He said the U.S. would support peace talks with the Taliban “without preconditions.”
On Pakistan, Tillerson said Tuesday that the U.S. could consider sanctions or cutting off Pakistan’s status as a major NON-NATO ally if it doesn’t crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.
Afghanistan’s U.s.-backed government welcomed Trump’s strategy, with President Ashraf Ghani saying it will help stabilize the region.
Allies responded positively, too. Germany, which contributes 950 troops in northern Afghanistan, approved the U.S. readiness for a “long-term commitment” and agreed the military’s continued deployment should be “linked to the conditions on the ground.”