About 4,000 more U.S. troops to go to Afghanistan
Posted on June 16, 2017
WASHINGTON,— The Pentagon will send almost 4,000 additional American forces to Afghanistan, a Trump administration official said Thursday, hoping to break a stalemate in a war that has now passed to a third U.S. commander in chief. The deployment will be the largest of American manpower under Donald Trump’s young presidency.
The decision by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could be announced as early as next week, the official said. It follows Trump’s move to give Mattis the authority to set troop levels and seeks to address assertions by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan that he doesn’t have enough forces to help Afghanistan’s army against a resurgent Taliban insurgency. The rising threat posed by Islamic State extremists, evidenced in a rash of deadly attacks in the capital city of Kabul, has only fueled calls for a stronger U.S. presence, as have several recent American combat deaths.
The bulk of the additional troops will train and advise Afghan forces, according to the administration official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A smaller number would be assigned to counterterror operations against the Taliban and IS, the official said.
Asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said, “No decisions have been made.”
Although Trump has delegated authority for U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, the responsibility for America’s wars and the men and women who fight in them rests on his shoulders. Trump has inherited America’s longest conflict with no clear endpoint or a defined strategy for American success, though U.S. troop levels are far lower than they were under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. In 2009, Obama authorized a surge of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, bringing the total there to more than 100,000, before drawing down over the rest of his presidency.
Trump has barely spoken about Afghanistan as a candidate or president, concentrating instead on crushing the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. His predecessors both had hoped to win the war. Bush scored a quick success, helping allied militant groups oust the Taliban shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, before seeing the gains slip away as American focus shifted to the Iraq war. In refocusing attention on Afghanistan, Obama eliminated much of the country’s al-Qaida network and authorized the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, but failed to snuff out the Taliban’s rebellion.
Mattis’ deployment of more troops will be far smaller than Obama’s.
While military leaders have consistently said more forces are needed, a decision had been tied up in a lengthy, wider debate about America’s long-term military, diplomatic and economic strategy for ending the war. Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander there, has said the troops are necessary to properly train and advise the Afghan military and perform work handled at greater cost by contractors. Afghan leaders endorse the idea of more U.S. troops, having lost significant ground to the Taliban in recent months.
But despite repeated questions from Congress this week, Mattis wouldn’t reveal his thinking on a troop increase. He said that while counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan are making progress in weakening al-Qaida and IS, “their defeat will come about only by giving our men and women on the ground the support and the authorities they need to win.”
Obama set a cap a year ago of 8,400 troops in Afghanistan after slowing the pace of what he hoped would be a U.S. withdrawal.
Nevertheless, there are at least another 2,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan not included in the official count. These include forces that are technically considered temporary even if they’ve been in the warzone for months.
Trump’s decision Tuesday to give Mattis authority to set force levels in Afghanistan mirrored similar powers he handed over earlier this year for U.S. fights in Iraq and Syria. The change was made public hours after Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Republican chairman, blasted Mattis for the administration’s failure to present an overarching strategy for Afghanistan. McCain said the U.S. is “not winning” in Afghanistan, and Mattis agreed.
The finality of the decision isn’t entirely clear. While Trump has handed over the troop level decision-making, there is nothing preventing him from taking it back.
Mattis has repeatedly stressed that increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would take place within a broader, long-term strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. In congressional testimony this week, he said the strategy will take into account regional influences, such as Pakistan’s role as a Taliban sanctuary. Regional powers Iran, India and China, which all have political stakes in the fate of Afghanistan, also must be considered.
While the new troops could raise fears of mission creep, Mattis told lawmakers this week he didn’t envision returning to the force levels of 2010-11, when Obama thought he could pressure the Taliban into peace talks. Despite heavy losses, the Taliban fought on.
“Reconciliation” remains the goal, Mattis told a House Appropriations panel Thursday, along with reducing Afghan government corruption.
“We’re not looking at a purely military strategy,” he said. “All wars come to an end. Our job is to end it as quickly as possible without losing the very mission that we’ve recognized, through several administrations, that was worth putting those young Americans on the line for.”
There have been almost 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001. Three U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in eastern Afghanistan this weekend in an attack claimed by the Taliban.
http://ekurd.net/more-us-troops-afghanistan-2017-06-16
Posted on June 16, 2017
WASHINGTON,— The Pentagon will send almost 4,000 additional American forces to Afghanistan, a Trump administration official said Thursday, hoping to break a stalemate in a war that has now passed to a third U.S. commander in chief. The deployment will be the largest of American manpower under Donald Trump’s young presidency.
The decision by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could be announced as early as next week, the official said. It follows Trump’s move to give Mattis the authority to set troop levels and seeks to address assertions by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan that he doesn’t have enough forces to help Afghanistan’s army against a resurgent Taliban insurgency. The rising threat posed by Islamic State extremists, evidenced in a rash of deadly attacks in the capital city of Kabul, has only fueled calls for a stronger U.S. presence, as have several recent American combat deaths.
The bulk of the additional troops will train and advise Afghan forces, according to the administration official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A smaller number would be assigned to counterterror operations against the Taliban and IS, the official said.
Asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said, “No decisions have been made.”
Although Trump has delegated authority for U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, the responsibility for America’s wars and the men and women who fight in them rests on his shoulders. Trump has inherited America’s longest conflict with no clear endpoint or a defined strategy for American success, though U.S. troop levels are far lower than they were under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. In 2009, Obama authorized a surge of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, bringing the total there to more than 100,000, before drawing down over the rest of his presidency.
Trump has barely spoken about Afghanistan as a candidate or president, concentrating instead on crushing the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. His predecessors both had hoped to win the war. Bush scored a quick success, helping allied militant groups oust the Taliban shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, before seeing the gains slip away as American focus shifted to the Iraq war. In refocusing attention on Afghanistan, Obama eliminated much of the country’s al-Qaida network and authorized the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, but failed to snuff out the Taliban’s rebellion.
Mattis’ deployment of more troops will be far smaller than Obama’s.
While military leaders have consistently said more forces are needed, a decision had been tied up in a lengthy, wider debate about America’s long-term military, diplomatic and economic strategy for ending the war. Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander there, has said the troops are necessary to properly train and advise the Afghan military and perform work handled at greater cost by contractors. Afghan leaders endorse the idea of more U.S. troops, having lost significant ground to the Taliban in recent months.
But despite repeated questions from Congress this week, Mattis wouldn’t reveal his thinking on a troop increase. He said that while counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan are making progress in weakening al-Qaida and IS, “their defeat will come about only by giving our men and women on the ground the support and the authorities they need to win.”
Obama set a cap a year ago of 8,400 troops in Afghanistan after slowing the pace of what he hoped would be a U.S. withdrawal.
Nevertheless, there are at least another 2,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan not included in the official count. These include forces that are technically considered temporary even if they’ve been in the warzone for months.
Trump’s decision Tuesday to give Mattis authority to set force levels in Afghanistan mirrored similar powers he handed over earlier this year for U.S. fights in Iraq and Syria. The change was made public hours after Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Republican chairman, blasted Mattis for the administration’s failure to present an overarching strategy for Afghanistan. McCain said the U.S. is “not winning” in Afghanistan, and Mattis agreed.
The finality of the decision isn’t entirely clear. While Trump has handed over the troop level decision-making, there is nothing preventing him from taking it back.
Mattis has repeatedly stressed that increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would take place within a broader, long-term strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. In congressional testimony this week, he said the strategy will take into account regional influences, such as Pakistan’s role as a Taliban sanctuary. Regional powers Iran, India and China, which all have political stakes in the fate of Afghanistan, also must be considered.
While the new troops could raise fears of mission creep, Mattis told lawmakers this week he didn’t envision returning to the force levels of 2010-11, when Obama thought he could pressure the Taliban into peace talks. Despite heavy losses, the Taliban fought on.
“Reconciliation” remains the goal, Mattis told a House Appropriations panel Thursday, along with reducing Afghan government corruption.
“We’re not looking at a purely military strategy,” he said. “All wars come to an end. Our job is to end it as quickly as possible without losing the very mission that we’ve recognized, through several administrations, that was worth putting those young Americans on the line for.”
There have been almost 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001. Three U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in eastern Afghanistan this weekend in an attack claimed by the Taliban.
http://ekurd.net/more-us-troops-afghanistan-2017-06-16
Today at 7:00 am by Rocky
» utube 5/9/24 MM&C 0:02 / 46:46 PM - Al-Sudani - Golden Opportunity - Private Sector - Contra
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/11/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - International - IraqTiming - 2024 Budget Schedule - Sp
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Bahr Al-Ulum calls for legislating the renewable energy law and localizing the solar panel industry
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» In numbers: the rise in internal debt in Iraq
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Jordan demands that Iraq continue to export oil for another three months
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the largest producer.. OPEC+ is pumping higher than scheduled and in anticipation of the Jun
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Close to the coordination framework: There is no intention to change the internal regulations of Par
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Central Bank sales exceed $274 million today
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» But the representative of the exchange companies is pessimistic... Why did the dollar fall?... The C
Today at 6:38 am by Rocky
» Jordan addresses Iraq to extend a memorandum of understanding to purchase oil
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» Bribes increased from 3,000 to 50,000 dollars.. What is the condition of alcohol in Iraq after the p
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Presence movement: Sunnis and Kurds while the Americans remain in Iraq
Today at 5:31 am by Rocky
» A deputy reveals the contents of the first water strategy in Iraq
Today at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Soon...the second reading of the proposed red card law
Today at 5:28 am by Rocky
» The discovery of 10 new oil and gas fields in the Anbar desert
Today at 5:27 am by Rocky
» A bloc announces to “Al-Ma’louma” the date of the parliamentary speaker’s election session
Today at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance explains the mechanism for amending the retirement law
Today at 5:24 am by Rocky
» Sovereignty accuses Al-Halbousi of obstructing the election of a Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Agriculture accuses Kurdistan of harming the farmers of the center and south
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms Iraq's readiness to host the Arab Network conference
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani calls on the Iraqi government to allocate a budget to confront climate change
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» “Iraq is in danger.” Political warnings against ending the work of the UN mission
Today at 5:19 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Interior Minister announces the signing of a security cooperation memorandum with Syria
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil told “Al-Iqtisad News”: The 5th and 6th rounds will add 3 Mqmq of gas to Iraq’s
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Economist: Tax revenues from the private sector should be 4 trillion dinars annually
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» The Real Estate Bank calls on the Iraqi Central Bank to determine a plan to allocate a new initiativ
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» More than one billion and 400 million dollars...CBI sales within a week
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Oil: Iraq achieved self-sufficiency in liquid gas and began exporting the surplus
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Iraq begins exporting liquid gas
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» The Cabinet Secretariat sets to Al-Iqtisad News the completion date for the Chinese agreement school
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Securities: The most recent law of the Authority in the Arab and regional countries
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» A European desire to strengthen security and economic cooperation with Baghdad
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» The close selection of a person for the position of Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary law excludes the exchange of penalties for cash amounts
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» An agreement with Italy to finance industrial projects
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» The Najaf Chamber of Commerce signs a “memorandum of understanding” with its Thai counterpart
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Baghdad, Arab Forum
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Specialists: Economic integration and job opportunities await development
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic, Nechirvan and Barzani stress the necessity of coordinating efforts be
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» The Judicial Institute announces the names of those accepted for the 48th and 49th sessions
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Today's newspapers are interested in launching the fifth licensing supplement rounds and the sixth l
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the Secretary-General of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Trade participates in the meetings of the Economic and Social Council at the level of senior officia
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport discusses with the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration wa
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Iraq recorded an increase in its oil exports to the United States last week
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» It is governed by three dimensions.. Parliament talks about a strategic priority for Iraqi national
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» To what extent do Arab countries influence politically Iraq? It has become more independent
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad: Iraq has paid its debts, and the security agreement includes thre
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Dollar exchange rates decline slightly on the Baghdad Stock Exchange
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» China has 18% of the fields in the two new rounds, and 11 countries share the remainder
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» On the table...a proposal for the Kurdistan oil crisis and an effort to conclude a similar agreement
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: A government decision to provide sovereign guarantees and guarantees to encourage the inve
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» 6 Chinese companies are among the winners of developing Iraqi oil and gas fields
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Baghdad gives UNAMI the end of 2025 to leave the country after fiery briefings
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Dhi Qar clarifies: The quarry burying radioactive materials is regular and does not pose a danger
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: There are 64 lagging projects in Babylon
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» The housing crisis is expanding and planning confirms: Iraq needs 3 million housing units to solve i
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» 90 billion dinars were recovered from social protection violators
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq seeks to increase its oil reserves to more than 160 billion barrels
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» After keeping the numbers secret... Did the rain increase Iraq's water reserves by 120%?
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» In the first quarter of 2024.. Iran will displace Iraq and become the second largest producer in OPE
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Iraqi oil exports to Jordan stopped 20 days ago
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Syria sign a memorandum of security cooperation in several fields
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Parliament recommends stopping electronic schools in Iraq
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary law rules out passing a law replacing penalties with sums of money
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» After a rare meeting... sources talk about Al-Sadr's future in political life in Iraq
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic warns of climate change and its threat to food security and future gen
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador to Iraq talks about negotiations for the withdrawal of American forces and Tu
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Iraq represents an important factor in the stability of the global oil market
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» Transportation: The Iraqi-Turkish technical committees continue to fulfill the requirements for impl
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Economic: Raising the interest rate will reduce real estate prices
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Did Barzani agree in Tehran to end the presence of Iranian groups in Kurdistan? - urgent
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are establishing a new situation for the global energy market through the Development
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government program devoted a wide scope to the government’s vision for oil and gas in
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: Ending the work of the UNAMI mission is consistent with the government’s vision in this fi
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» MM&C Floating the dinar" returns to the forefront.. Will the Central Bank of Iraq resort to it and w
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Secretary of the Ministry of Defense meets with the Commander of the NATO mission
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Expert: The stability of the economy is linked to the political situation
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary request to lift the injustice against 20,000 Iraqi employees
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance criticizes the government's failure to send the budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: The 5th and 6th licensing rounds will take place within the framework of exploratio
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the global market in the field of energy
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Khanjar rejects Al-Halbousi’s request to head Parliament
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Revealing the date of the arrival of the 2024 budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi nominates Talal Al-Zubaie for presidency of the House of Representatives
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» "A coup in Iraqi universities"... Replacement of presidents and deans under the new education law
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the equation of energy and oil wealth in the region and the
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: We hope to announce an increase in Iraq’s oil reserves to 160 billion barrels
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Iraq's mass graves...stories that did not end with the burial of their owners, and the "legacy of IS
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Pictures: New licenses in Iraq to extract “huge” quantities of oil and gas
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Transport reopens the Baghdad - Samarra railway line
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: A government decision to provide sovereign guarantees and guarantees to encourage the inve
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Oil clarifies the mechanism for investing grant funds and licensing contracts
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» A $700 million agreement is signed between Iraq and Italy to finance these projects
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Iraq recovers 90 billion dinars from social protection violators
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Sudanese officially launches the two licensing rounds and sets the date for stopping gas burning
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» An economic vision for the standard of competition for exploratory plots in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Islamic Bank announces an increase in its capital to 300 billion dinars
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky