American President Donald Trump spoke out on Monday evening, outlining his plan for ending the War In Afghanistan. Trump told media that America would no longer be participating in so-called "nation-building" in Afghanistan. The main focus now is simply ensuring victory and ending the 16-year Afghan war. The video of his statement can be seen here.
The president emphasized that he would be changing his military policy in Afghanistan. He added that he would allow the military authority of their own and that they would be allowed to target terrorist groups, such as the Taliban, at any time and any place in Afghanistan.
Trump's plan for the United States and the war in Afghanistan consists of 5 key points.
1. Troop levels
According to CNN, there are currently around 8,400 American soldiers in Afghanistan. On Monday Trump announced that he had given the Pentagon permission to increase this number as much as necessary. Trump also told the press that he would no longer be publically announcing the number of American soldiers deployed for this war. According to the president, it is important to keep this a secret so that enemies are less inclined to think they can defeat America.
Furthermore, Trump has authorized the military to do whatever they deem necessary while on the ground. The soldiers will now be reacting to the circumstances on the ground and actively seeking out terrorist groups to neutralize.
2. More military autonomy
President Donald Trump spoke about the importance of allowing the military freedom to make responsible choices while on the ground in Afghanistan. According to Latest News, Trump believes that making the troops await orders from Washington DC will only slow down American victory. As the soldiers and commanders are the ones in the conflict, they should be the ones making decisions as well.
3. Political talks
Trump wants the Afghan War to come to an end. He told the press on Monday that his goal is to force the Taliban to enter talks with the United States and the Afghan government. The President believes that the more ferocious military tactics will force the Taliban to join negotiations in a shorter time. According to CNN, Trump will also no longer be setting dates by which troops will be leaving Afghanistan.
He says that there is no way of predicting when the Taliban will succumb to America's wishes and so there is no point in setting fixed dates as of yet.
4. Changing Pakistan
According to Latest News, Trump has also threatened Pakistan. Pakistan is well-known for allowing the Afghan terrorists a safe haven. Trump has warned that unless Pakistan changes this policy, they will no longer receive the millions of dollars of US aid that they currently receive.
5. Winning but not nation-building
Trump's final point is this: America was out for victory. That's all. Trump said he has no intention of trying to build Afghanistan up or encourage unity in the nation. He isn't going to impose democracy on them after the war either. Donald Trump told the press that he simply wants to eradicate the threat of terrorism that is currently present in the country.
