MAKE WAR SURGE AGAIN
Trump touts new plan for Afghanistan but won’t give strategy
WITH NO NEW numbers on troop deployment and few specifics on strategy, a tough-talking President Trump vowed Monday to win the war in Afghanistan — doing an about-face on a military operation he opposed for years.
In a prime-time speech at Fort Myer, Va., marking his first major national security address, Trump promised to obliterate ISIS, crush Al Qaeda and stop mass terror attacks against America “before they emerge.”
But the closest the President came to any actual details on his much-anticipated plan on how to address what at 16 years is America’s longest war, was his call for a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.
“Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us,” Trump said.
“The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation. And define their own future. We want them to succeed. But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests.”
Trump punctuated his point of putting America first, saying “We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.” He would not say how he would achieve the victory, and he defended his vague“principled realism” approach.
“America’s enemies must never know our plans, or believe they can wait us out,” Trump said. “I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.”
By announcing his commitment to the war, Trump in effect asked the nation to ignore his previous rhetoric, including his criticism of “very stupid leaders” who kept the battle going.
“My original instinct was to pull out, and historically, I like following my instincts,” he said. “But all my life, I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.”
Trump, who on the campaign trail mercilessly attacked any notion of carrying on the conflict, insisted the fight would be more effective under his leadership and vowed the nation’s war on terror would end in victory.
He said he would not establish any timeline for pulling out, which he said would be determined by Afghanistan meeting certain conditions. He also called on Pakistan and India to be more involved in bringing the conflict to an end.
There are now about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from 9,800 last year. Troop levels swelled to nearly 100,000 in 2010.
Trump did not provide a number of additional troops that would be sent to the war, though U.S. officials said ahead of the speech they expect him to go along with a Pentagon recommendation of nearly 4,000 new troops.
Trump’s announcement drew swift rebuke from critics who accused him of flip-flopping on a major foreign policy position. Among those were Breitbart, where his fired chief strategist Stephen Bannon works. But Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a war hero whom Trump has insulted, commended the strategy.
Though he inherited the war, Trump’s opponents and supporters alike were looking to see how far he would go to own the conflict.
“I fully knew what I was getting into,” Trump said. “Big and intricate problems. But one way or another, these problems will be solved. I’m a problem solver. And in the end, we will win.”