Thursday, December 20, 2018

Trump May Cut No. of US Troops in Afghanistan; Begins to Lack Patience with Overseas Mil. Roles

President Donald Trump is considering significantly drawing down troops from Afghanistan, two U.S. officials said today (December 20, 2018) in the latest sign his patience is thinning with America's longest war and overseas military interventions in general, according to the Newsmax website.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said thousands of the 14,000 troops could be sent home as a result of deliberations, the disclosure of which could undermine ongoing peace efforts with the Taliban.

The drawdown would follow Trump's decision yesterday to completely withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria -- a move that has bewildered allies and triggered harsh reaction from Republican allies in Congress. It has also shocked U.S. military commanders.

More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that a precipitous exit would allow militants to develop new plots on America like the September 11, 2001 attacks that plunged the U.S. into an era of open-ended warfare.

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