President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan on Monday, which will see a rise in the troops and will have a “killing terrorists” approach rather than a “nation-building” one. This statement is a contrast from the commander-in-chief’s previous policy that insisted the nation pull out of the war.
Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy calls for a troop increase
In an address from Arlington, Virginia, Trump said, “We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.”
He didn’t provide much details as to how he’s going to do it, leaving out the additional numbers of troops that he plans to increase in the war torn country.
We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,” said the President. “Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. He also promised that America is “going to attack.”
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Trump vows a clear victory for troops
In his Monday night speech, Trump also revealed that Pakistan and India will have important role to play in putting his strategy in motion. He has called this approach “principled realism” and vowed American soldiers a “clear definition of victory.”
“Our troops will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.”
His strong statement comes at the heels of his controversial response to the Charlottesville protests, where a white supremacist ran his car over counter-protesters.