USA TODAY International Edition
Growing violence and ‘ stalemate’ require military decisions
Bombing in Kabul comes as Trump weighs troop increase
A massive car bombing that killed at least 80 people in the heart of Kabul Wednesday highlights the stark choices facing President Trump as he tries to alter the course of a war that has dragged on for more than 15 years and is now characterized by commanders as a stalemate.
The Taliban have grown stronger in parts of the countryside, and followers of the Islamic State are emerging as a growing threat. U. S.- backed Afghan security forces have been taking heavy casualties as they struggle to contain the insurgency.
The Taliban denied any connection to the bombing. The devastation was caused by a truck bomb, which was triggered in a supposedly secure part of the city near embassies and government offices.
Public health ministry spokesman Ismail Kawasi told the Associated Press that 350 people were injured in the bombing, which happened near Zambaq Square in the center of Kabul during rush hour.
He said most of the wounded were civilians, including women and children.
The bomb, which went off near the entrance to the German embassy, was hidden in a sewage tanker, police spokesman Basir Mujahid told Reuters. The target of the bombing wasn’t immediately clear. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said a security guard at the embassy was killed and some staff were wounded.
The bombing is the latest example of how insurgents can infiltrate the country’s capital in an effort to wreak havoc. It appeared to be a sophisticated, wellplanned attack that allowed the truck bomb to get through multiple layers of security inside the capital.
“There could have been coop- eration with Afghan security forces or at a minimum very detailed planning and coordination,” said Jack Keane, a retired Army general.
The violence comes as the White House is weighing a request from military commanders to add more American troops to help train and support Afghanistan’s security forces. NATO has about 13,500 troops in Afghanistan, including about 9,000 American forces.
The top commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, has said several thousand more troops are needed to turn the tide of war there. He has described the war with the Taliban as a stalemate.
Trump traveled to Brussels earlier this month where he discussed the issue with his NATO counterparts, who are also being asked to boost troop levels. The White House has not yet decided on requests for more troops.
“The major issue we’re facing is that with the status quo the war is not winnable,” Keane said. “President Trump is facing an indefinite protracted war if nothing is done and if we pull away Afghanistan turns back into a terrorist safe haven. Alternatively, we can do something that is decisive. The Taliban should have been defeated and a political settlement should have been reached years ago.”
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said NATO should be prepared to act quickly if more troops are approved, since the country is entering another “fighting season,” when mountains become passable and insurgents step up attacks.
“If the political decision is to do more, let’s do more as fast as we can,” Dunford said after a meeting with NATO’s military leaders earlier this month.