Trump announces new troops in Afghanistan, takes a “militarist” turn
The mission’s goal is not to build democracy but to kill terrorists. The Afghan government and NATO praise the decision. The Taliban promise to continue the jihad until the last US soldier is out. Until them they will turn the country into a US graveyard. Source tells AsiaNews that the Taliban will not stop. Analyst says Trump is a manikin of the military.
Washington (AsiaNews) – US President Donald Trump said he wants to send fresh troops to Afghanistan, not “to construct democracies” but for the purpose of “killing terrorists".
The Afghan government and NATO praised the decision, whilst the Taliban promised to turn the country into “another graveyard’ for the United States.
Trump’s decision is a major about-face in view of what the president said during his “America first” campaign.
Trump announced his new strategy on Monday in front of the troops at the Fort Myer military base in Arlington (Virginia).
For the US president, pulling US troops out of Afghanistan too quickly could create a vacuum that the terrorists could fill. So, despite his initial instinct of getting out, he decided instead to stay and "fight to win".
The president also put pressure on neighbouring Pakistan, warning that the US would no longer tolerate it offering "safe havens" to “agents of chaos” – an accusation swiftly dismissed by a Pakistani army spokesman
Finally, the president did not rule out a "political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban" after an "effective military effort".
Trump's speech did not indicate any the number for the US deployment, but some reports indicate that the president has approved 4,000 troops.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the plan, saying "The US-Afghan partnership is stronger than ever in overcoming the threat of terrorism that threaten us all."
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also praised the move and said that the alliance, which has about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan, would not allow the country to become "a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries".
The Taliban’s response was different. "If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Islamist group also vowed that it would continue its "jihad" as long as American troops remained in the country.
A source told AsiaNews that "as long as foreign soldiers remain, the Taliban will continue their offensive." Although it is true that the Afghan army cannot on its own defeat the Taliban, the source noted that Trump’s plan is unclear.
The president “says they will not leave until they have destroyed the enemies, but that is easy to say. The terrorists know the terrain. Some generals know Afghanistan well; they know very well that many areas have never been reached by NATO troops. This is not a prospect for peace."
For analyst Finian Cunningham, Trump's decision to continue America’s "longest war" is rooted in his administration’s growing militarism.
Trump himself had bashed Obama for his military involvement in Afghanistan, pledging in his electoral campaign to channel economic resources to revive "forgotten" communities at home rather than fund wars abroad.
For Cunningham, Trump now “is a mere manikin who sits in the White House taking orders from his generals."
This explains the timing of the removal of Stephen Bannon from the Trump team. Last week Bannon expressed views opposed to Trump’s militaristic policy vis-à-vis North Korea and had in the past warned the president against embracing militarism abroad, especially in Afghanistan.
For the analyst, "It is no coincidence that Trump decided to get rid of Bannon while huddled with military generals and intelligence chiefs at Camp David last weekend."
In 2010 the United States had upwards of 100,000 U.S. military personnel to Afghanistan. Today that figure is down to 8,400 U.S. troops.
The situation however is as deadly as ever. More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year.
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