The US entered the war in afghanistan 16 years back when it helped oust the Taliban in the region which had given succor to Osama bin Laden. Since then the US military has been actively involved in the war on terror and at one time almost 100,000 troops were in Afghanistan.

The troop levels were drastically reduced by President Obama and a small skeleton force of 8000 was left behind, to assist the Afghan army. This has had an adverse effect and the Taliban is gaining momentum while the Afghan army is having a tough time.

This year the territory controlled by the Afghan government of Abdul Ghani has shrunk by 5 percent and now it controls just about 60 percent of Afghanistan.

The American soldiers left behind, along with a few NATO troops advise and train the Afghan forces.

By any stretch of the imagination, a mere 8000 troops in a country the size of Afghanistan is a pittance to control a rampaging Taliban supported by Pakistan. The US commanders led by the senior-most general in Afganistan, General Nicholas has been pressing for a surge in troop levels to fight the Taliban, according to Military.com.

Trump and sacking of General Nicholas

The U.S. and Afghan military commanders battling the Taliban and the Islamic State are encountering an obstacle they never expected. It has now dawned on the Army top brass that trump has been vacillating on increasing the troop buildup and this, in turn, has surprised the military top brass into asking whether it’s worth fighting on in Afghanistan?

In a recent meeting attended by General Mattis, the president vented his anger at the conduct of the war and opined that General Nicholas needs to be sacked as he had “lost “the war.

2017 has been a bad year for the Afghan forces who have suffered the maximum number of casualties and the Taliban can with impunity attack even the safest zone in Kabul.

Trump’s failure to approve any plan of action in Afghanistan has surprised his generals including Mattis, the Secretary of Defense. His harping on the sacking of General Nicholas has not found any supporters among the military top brass.

Bizarre views

He has reportedly made a bizarre suggestion that independent contractors be authorized to advise the Afghan government in the war against the Taliban.

Some had expected the president to give a swift approval of their plan to add more U.S. troops to advise and assist Afghan forces, yet this has not happened. The top army generals are surprised at Trump's indecisiveness and his talk about privatizing large portions of the war, have shaken them, as well as the Afghan government. They are waiting to see how the Trump administration’s commitment to Afghan stability will work out in the future as presently it's advantage Taliban