While campaigning for the presidency, Trump declared that he would end our stupid and wasteful participation immediately upon taking office; he blasted Obama for not getting out earlier, then later criticized him for a hasty and unwise withdrawal of troops. I guess he found the issues were more complicated than he realized. In December 2014 NATO formally ended the combat operations in Afghanistan, but subsequently that country and the U.S. signed a bilateral security agreement to allow NATO troops to provide an “advisory and counterterrorism” role there. Why do Afghan forces still lack the “manpower, equipment and training” needed to take back large areas of their territory, that al-Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS have reoccupied? I do agree that we need to end our silence about Pakistan’s continual sheltering of terrorists, who launch attacks, then retreat to that safe haven. We need to somehow force more commitment from our “supposed ally”, Pakistan. And we have pledged an “enduring outcome” to Afghanistan; do you agree with it now, and were you against it under President Obama? Trump needs to stop being Divider-in-Chief, stop waging war against Congress, the media and the majority of our citizens, and start contemplating diplomacy!
Trish Forsyth Voss
Aug 25 2017
What should be the U.S. military role in Afghanistan?
While campaigning for the presidency, Trump declared that he would end our stupid and wasteful participation immediately upon taking office; he blasted Obama for not getting out earlier, then later criticized him for a hasty and unwise withdrawal of troops. I guess he found the issues were more complicated than he realized. In December 2014 NATO formally ended the combat operations in Afghanistan, but subsequently that country and the U.S. signed a bilateral security agreement to allow NATO troops to provide an “advisory and counterterrorism” role there. Why do Afghan forces still lack the “manpower, equipment and training” needed to take back large areas of their territory, that al-Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS have reoccupied? I do agree that we need to end our silence about Pakistan’s continual sheltering of terrorists, who launch attacks, then retreat to that safe haven. We need to somehow force more commitment from our “supposed ally”, Pakistan. And we have pledged an “enduring outcome” to Afghanistan; do you agree with it now, and were you against it under President Obama? Trump needs to stop being Divider-in-Chief, stop waging war against Congress, the media and the majority of our citizens, and start contemplating diplomacy!
Trish Forsyth Voss
By spiritspeak • Community Roundtable 0