Having made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Thursday to meet with Afghan leaders and US troops, Vice President Mike Pence is talking up “progress” in the 16+ year Afghan War, crediting the new strategy.
Back in August, President Trump set out a “new” strategy, which was just a general escalation of the conflict, with an unspecified number of additional ground troops deployed, and a substantial increase in US airstrikes.
Pence said the situation is “promising” now, saying that the Taliban have been put “on the defensive,” though of course the Taliban have been in defensive situations several times during the protracted war.
US officials have many times during the course of the war claimed progress against the Taliban, but the Trump Administration’s ever-increasing secrecy about the strategy, troop levels, and day-to-day operations, it is very difficult to gauge by what measure they think things are improving at all, with Taliban territorial holdings still near their highest level since the 2001 invasion.
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Yeah – victory is just around the corner …. since 16 years.
It’ll only take a couple of more months (…years…decades…), I’m sure. Ha!
A “surprise” visit is the only kind. Why didn’t Pence announce beforehand that he was going to Afghanistan? After 16 years the s**thole isn’t secure enough for anyone to enter the country without wasting tons of taxpayer money to ensure their safety.
What else is he supposed to say? That a group of peasants have kicked ass and his much admired military isn’t capable of the job?
Be sure Pence will return by way of Israel to top up on campaign money,I believe he is at $250k at the moment.
Pence: ’16 yrs ago the Taliban ruled the country, there was a miniscule Al Qaeda presence and no opium production, today, the Taliban controls 50% of the country, opium production is booming, and the rest of the country is governed by warlords, Al Qaeda and an increasingly large presence of ISIS.’
Yes, indeed, we are making splendid progress.