Facing growing complaints from Senate hawks about not having made a decision yet on troop levels in Afghanistan, President Trump has decided to abandon making such a decision entirely, and has given Defense Secretary James Mattis full, unilateral authority to decide on the Afghan war escalation.
President Trump has been keen to delegate future authority on troop levels in other conflicts to the Pentagon, but this is the first time he’s done so without a perfunctory announcement of sending a bunch of additional ground troops first to put his personal stamp on the escalation.
All indications are that Mattis, and the other former generals in Trump’s cabinet, are all in favor of the larger escalation proposals among the options presented to Trump, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was among the few skeptics.
Mattis had told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier today that a decision on Afghan troop levels was still weeks away, but it is unclear if that was based on the assumption that Trump was still going to have to decide. Now that he gets to decide himself, such a decision is likely to be faster.
There are currently 8,500 US troops in Afghanistan, and proposals are expected to add between 3,000 and 5,000 more troops to the war, now in its 16th year.
Sure send some more terrorist over there. Remember though that the USA does Not allow Terrorism. Sorry that the US MILITARY isn’t welcome in the US due to them being full BLOWN TERRORIST just like Mattis. Trump is too much of a coward to make the call. Even though he is now the BIGGEST TERRORIST in the WORLD! Selling the TERRORIST Saudi Arabia more weapons. Are they going to attack our country with those same weapons that they used to arm their Terrorist that MURDERED over 3000 people? No bombs are better than box cutters. You can murder more people at once. US GOVERNMENT OF TERRORISM, they created it and are FORCING AMERICANS to pay for it! Stop killing in my name! I am 100% AGAINST the US GOVERNMENT on selling arms to TERRORISTS! Impeach the sleaze.