The efforts in Afghanistan to combat terrorism have been hobbled since President Obama ordered
the withdrawal of tens of thousands of American troops.
President Trump is addressing that matter, and his efforts are being hailed by military
experts.
In August, President Trump announced a new military strategy for Afghanistan involving
3,000 additional US troops.
According to The Daily Mail, four-star General John Nicholson Jr. said the strategy would
be successful.
"We are still in a stalemate," he said, but noted the strategy included "all the
conditions to win."
The 3,000 additional troops would increase the Afghan-positioned US forces to a total
of 11,000.
The strategy is a measure to bolster the efforts in Afghanistan, which have suffered in recent
years.
The presence of US forces in Afghanistan has declined drastically since 2011 when it had
100,000 troops assigned there.
Then, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said of the strategy: "This entire effort is
intended to put pressure on the Taliban, to have the Taliban understand 'you will not
win a battlefield victory.'"
The extra troops could strengthen the US-backed Afghanistan government to put enough pressure
on the Taliban to finally push them to peace negotiations.
The withdrawal of US forces has allowed the Taliban to broaden their hold on territory
in the face of a weak Afghan government.
"'This change in policy has reversed this decline that we've been in since 2011,"
Gen. Nicholson said.
He added that troops were withdrawn far too quickly.
"We communicated to the enemy that we had lost our will to win, and now with a new policy
as of August, we are going to win.
And winning means delivering a negotiated settlement that reduces the level of violence
and protecting the homeland."
Just a few months ago, President Trump was reportedly frustrated with the lack of progress
in Afghanistan and even considered firing Gen. Nicholson.
When he learned of the insufficient resources, he quickly released the strategy.
Gen. Nicholson said that President Trump has delivered "everything I asked for."
"We are only 90 days into this new policy," Gen. Nicholson added, "but with the US forces
that will be arriving; with the new authority that we have been given [to] put the pressure
on external enablers; with the fact that we are condition based and not time-based, we've
set all the conditions to win."
President Trump reportedly has full confidence in Gen. Nicholson's duties.
In a recent conference call to US soldiers positioned in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Bahrain,
and those stationed on USS Monterey, President Trump wished the soldiers a "Happy Thanksgiving"
and thanked them for their progress, which has been more successful against ISIS than
in numerous years of the Obama administration.
"We're not fighting anymore to just walk around, we're fighting to win," President
Trump said.
"We're being talked about again as an armed forces.
We're really winning."
He went on to tell the troops they were "very, very special people" to him and all of America.
"We totally support you.
In fact, we love you … You're in a very different part of the world than you're
used to but boy are you doing a job there, and thank God for you."
President Trump has expressed that the US military is one of his top priorities, and
his efforts continue to evidence that.
Hopefully, the latest strategy will help US forces help the Afghan government finally
see success as a result of their efforts and sacrifices.
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