With a peace deal in place in Afghanistan, at some point US troops would be expected to leave the country. Amid concerns of a coronavirus buildup, President Trump is thinking it is best to get those troops out of the country sooner, rather than later.
Officials say Trump complains about the troops not being out of Afghanistan yet almost daily, but that his advisers continue to stall and try to talk him out of it, arguing that if the virus is a reason to leave, US troops should also withdraw from Italy.
That argument seems a continuation of the strategy for getting out of Trump’s calls for drawdowns, which is to confuse the question and hope that Trump gets fixated on something else before they have to actually do anything.
Afghan officials have been emphasizing the risk of a pandemic, and how widespread it could be. While the US already has plenty of opportunity to leave Afghanistan now, this is just another opportunity on top of that, but whether Trump’s impulse to leave will actually pan out this time depends heavily on how he reacts to the ever-present resistance of officials.
He gets easily distracted. They are counting on it.
GO TRUMP – LEAVE.
Prove to the WORLD and THE US – YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT AND WHAT YOU SAY GOES.
The World and ALL true Americans will love you for it.
You know what’s messed up? That kind of stupid logic about not leaving because of Italy is probably something that would actually make sense to Trump. He seems to enjoy backasswards totally disconnected “logic”.
Honestly, it’s always been a puzzle figuring Trump out but I don’t think it’s that hard when it comes to Afghanistan. He’s always wanted out and they always tell him why getting out will hurt his re-election, in one way or another. I hate to be that cynical but that makes more sense than anything else I’ve heard said.
He could have made peace before this but he’s worried Kabul will fall before our election. I’m not saying I can read his mind, I’m just putting it out there as a theory, who knows, maybe he’s just afraid to go down in history as the man who lost Afghanistan, we know he hates losers.
(That’s why he shouldn’t have made the war his own.)
And to give Trump’s team credit, they have worked very hard to set the stage for peace, it’s up to the Afghanistan people to decide if they want the war to go on, our presence only allows the Afghan government the ability to stall and line their own pockets.
The best thing for everyone is for us to get out.
Everyone except who ever is running the near-trillion dollar heroine trade there that was nearly wiped out by the Taliban. How many photos of GIs guarding poppy fields do you need to see. We have been there for 20 fucking years. Here is a clue. The CIA has been busted importing drugs over and over since Vietnam when they were shipping drugs in the coffins of dead GIs.
I did a couple Tours down to Panama and other nations in that region that was another place were the CIA was up to their eyeballs in the drug trade. I also went into Columbia once on old Huey’s, we carried massive amounts of ammo, had a C130 specter gunship overhead most of the night and for what? Hmmmm, we set up a perimeter around a small airport in the middle of the nowhere, with more weapons and ammo than on any mission we took during Just Cause or Operation Promote Liberty. Then we watched as light planes flew in, dropped off their cargo, loaded up with something from the Columbians and off they flew. A couple hours later our Heuy’s (with civilian pilots) came in and picked us up and off we went. What could we have been doing on an airstrip in Columbia protecting a transfer like this? Honestly, what else could it be but drugs?
Thanks for the response. I wish more veterans would speak up about this. So many people are arguing about our occupation being Trump’s fault. He obviously doesn’t have the authority to withdraw that we think he has. Let’s at least talk about the real reason we have troops there.
Drugs is the only possible explanation for Bill Clinton being POTUS.
“Poppy” Bush was OK turning it over to Bill because Clinton was just as guilty as him with the cocaine flown into Mena, AK. Anyone else might have started an investigation. How they made Clinton POTUS is another discussion. Needless to say it shows how real our elections are. It also explains Hillary who had the same qualifications.
Those are not “tours.” Those are our heroes strutting and mucking about in foreign countries.
It’s worse that that, but what words fit, murderous rampage described it well I guess.
It’s discouraging that so many people have no idea who either Gary Webb or Mike Ruppert were.
I still have a couple copies of “Crossing the Rubicon”. I gave away 10 of them. Mostly people were too dense to understand. The Department of Education Prevention has been effective.
“He could have made peace before this but he’s worried Kabul will fall before our election.”
And that is why the president should have one term. Same with congress. Imagine how much would get done before people become corrupt.
I agree 100% one 6 year term, it’s long enough they could get something big done, but not so long they can grab too much power either.
Write the order: remove all US troops from Afghanistan immediately. That’s all it takes. We walked in, we can walk right back out. Will it be easy? No. Is it the smart thing to do? Definitely.
“arguing that if the virus is a reason to leave, US troops should also withdraw from Italy”
Great logic. Now lets apply it to every country we have troops in if the virus is present in that country. That should eliminate the vast majority of our 800 bases.
Exactly:
Adviser: “but sir, getting out because of the virus means we would have to leave Italy, Germany, Korea, and Japan, etc.”
Trump: “Yes …?”
But those sage advisors don’t want to let little things like the safety of US soldiers or how far-fetched it is that their meddling abroad will do anything constructive get in the way of all these cool wars they have going on indefinitely.
I hope that Trump wasn’t sarcastic …
He does not do sarcasm, only stupidity.
What the heck exactly are US troops doing in Italy?
I didn’t even know they were there.
At least two air bases that i know of. One near Venice and one near Naples.
More sales tactics. Sorry, Trump, we know what you’re all about. B.S.
What a coincidence, so does every Afghani (except those on the “take”) and every American (except those on the take).
Our “officials” suck ass. And by all means do withdraw from Italy too!
I can sense Italy gravitating toward Russia.
An example of Europe’s disquiet against Moscow is apparent when the Russian Air Forces planes depart Verona, Italy; fly a deep southern route through the Adriatic Sea; onto the Mediterranean Sea and around the eastern Black Sea; and avoid Ukraine and other European nations.
Who the heck still believe trump always wanted out ? He increased combat deployment there by 50%, quadrupled airstrikes, and lifted combat restrictions as soon as he came into office. His policy still means a large escalation from what was there when he went in. No, not advisors, not generals, him…trump, he alone owns was has occurred since 2017. Anyone believing he has wanted out must be waiting for their trumpU classes to start up again.
When will Trump start acting like a commander-in-chief? All talk and no action doesn’t cut it Donald.
Fine. Close all bases in Italy and bring troops there home, the withdraw all troops from Afghanistan.
“Officials say Trump complains about the troops not being out of Afghanistan yet almost daily, but that his advisers continue to stall and try to talk him out of it, arguing that if the virus is a reason to leave, US troops should also withdraw from Italy.’
What “officials,’ Jason?
President Trump is going to pull them out of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan per his timetable or he’s not.
If this doesn’t happen now, he won’t do it if re-elected.
He can fire top cabinet officers due to insubordination or he won’t. He can tell Bibi where to stick it or not.
Heard this one before. Wait for the punchline.
Withdraw from everywhere!!!
…and replace by UN paramilitary forces, led by Israel, especially in the Sea of Spratleys.
Who knows. Only an equally disturbed person can read the mind of a moron.
But President Kushner doesnt want to leave Afghanistan. ITs just not in his interest at this time.
But of course, the MIC/zionist advisors arguing against troop reductions.
This is news??