Trump has new Afghan strategy

Rapid exit of troops would create a vacuum for terrorists, he says

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy on Monday in a national address, calling a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable" and pledging a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.

In a 30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick exit of US troops, saying that a "nasty withdrawal" would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that terrorists including the Islamic State and al-Qaida would instantly fill.

He said that the United States have been facing "immense" security threats in Afghanistan and the broader region, which made him stop following his "original instinct" to "pull out" the troops.

It has been reported that about 2,400 US soldiers have died in the war since 2001.

As a longtime critic of US strategy in Afghanistan under the Obama administration, Trump ordered a review of the strategy soon after taking office in January.

During his speech, Trump also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities".

US media had expected Trump to authorize the deployment of up to 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

US officials have reportedly said that Trump had agreed on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' plans to send about 4,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Anthony H. Cordesman, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said earlier this month that the Trump administration has talked vaguely about possible measures to support Afghanistan.

Cordesman also said if the US is to succeed in Afghanistan - either by exhausting the threat or pushing it to the negotiating table - it needs to be willing to support Afghan forces until they become fully combat ready.

"This means shifting from a deadline/withdrawal strategy and to a conditions-based support strategy, and it probably will take at least till 2020 and may well take several years beyond."

Not nation-building

Currently, there are about 8,400 US troops and another 5,000 NATO forces on the ground in Afghanistan.

Trump said it was counterproductive for the US to "announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options".

However, the new strategy would shift from "a time-based" approach to one based on conditions on the ground, he said.

Trump outlined the pillars of his strategy, saying that the US was not about nation-building but focusing on "killing terrorists".

While reassuring Kabul about the US commitment, Trump also warned that US support was "not a blank check", and its patience was "not unlimited".

Xinhua - China Daily