Here Are the Highlights of Trump’s Afghanistan Speech

Speaking before a crowd of military personnel at Fort Myer in Arlington, VA on Monday night, President Donald Trump delivered his first official policy address to the nation on military strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia. Here are the highlights of the speech:

• Trump expressed a desire to avoid repeating in Afghanistan the mistakes of the Iraq drawdown, when "the vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to grow, recruit, and launch attacks."

• To that end, the U.S. is expected to deploy additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan to train and advise the Afghan military and assist in counterterrorism operations. There are currently 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of 100,000 between August 2010 and May 2011. (Specific troop levels weren't mentioned and won't be discussed by the administration.)

• Trump said that Pakistan "has been a valued partner" in counterterrorism efforts, but that it “has sheltered the same organizations that try to kill our people each day” which needs to end “immediately.”

• The U.S. will call on India to help with economic assistance and development in Afghanistan. It will also call on allies and partners to contribute more troops and resources to collective security efforts in Afghanistan.

• Trump told the troops present that "you will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement" as a result of the administration’s policy changes, and that the U.S. “will achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price many have paid” in Afghanistan.

More Analysis

• "Trump Takes New Tack in Afghanistan Fight" — Wall Street Journal
• "Trump's 'new' Afghanistan policy is more of the same" — Los Angeles Times

Related Reading

• Your Turn: What to Do About Afghanistan
• H.R. 1666: Prohibiting Funds for U.S. Activities in Afghanistan After One Year

— Eric Revell

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