[DAWN] United States (US) President Donald Trump...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
has vowed success in Afghanistan, but analysts say his strategy contains nothing new against enemies which his predecessors could not defeat ─ a sobering assessment that points to endless war for weary civilians.
Depends on whether he's willing to level Mir Ali or Dera Ismail Khan.
Or Islamabad.
The US and Afghan governments face formidable opponents in the ascendant Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
, weak and corrupt Afghan institutions and meddling regional powers ─ plus the growing menace of the Lion of Islam Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
group.
The US president vowed to leave American boots on the ground indefinitely while turning away from nation-building.
But his refusal to release details and define the conditions for victory have raised fears America's involvement in the conflict may never end.
"Strategy is about matching means to ends. I think we heard a lot about ends but rather little about means," James Der Derian, from the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, told AFP.
Trump backtracked from previous promises to end America's longest-ever war during a primetime speech late Monday, paving the way for thousands more US soldiers to be sent to Afghanistan.
While he refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised US Defence Secretary James Mattis to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.
There are currently 8,500 US personnel in-country who are largely restricted to NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
's mission of training the 190,000-strong Afghan army and offering strategic support on certain missions.