US Defense
Secretary James Mattis confirmed that over 3,000 new US troops will
be headed to Afghanistan as part of President Donald Trump’s new
strategy to win the war that has dragged on for almost 16 years.
"It
is exactly over 3,000 somewhat and frankly I haven't signed the last
of the orders right now as we look at specific, small elements that
are going," Mattis told reporters on Monday afternoon.
Earlier in
the day, Senator David Perdue (R-Georgia) referred to “3,500 more
troops” in an article published by Defense One. “For too long,
America’s strategy in Afghanistan was driven by politics, leading
to arbitrary troop caps and unreasonable timetables for troop
withdrawal,” Perdue wrote, noting that enemies interpreted that
as a lack of resolve. “Finally, the gloves are off.”
Perdue, who
visited Afghanistan in July, praised Trump as a “commander-in-chief
who listens to his military leaders and understands we need a better,
wiser approach in Afghanistan.”
Trump
announced his new strategy in late August, vowing “fast and
powerful” retribution against terrorist organizations seeking a
safe haven in Afghanistan. Instead of timetables, he said that
victory would be predicated on “conditions on the ground.”
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the new strategy as a “dead
end,” while Pakistan and China were critical of Washington’s
approach, noting there was “no military solution” to the
situation in Afghanistan.
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