Trump Orders Big Troop Reduction in Afghanistan (Total pullout in months)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | December 20, 2018 | Gordon Lubold and Jessica Donati

[2ndDivisionVet]

About half of the 14,000 U.S. forces will return home in the coming weeks, the start of a total pullout that could take at least many months

A day after a contested decision to pull American military forces from Syria, officials said Thursday that President Trump has ordered the start of a reduction of American forces in Afghanistan.

More than 7,000 American troops will begin to return home from Afghanistan in the coming weeks, a U.S. official said. The move will come as the first stage of a phased drawdown and the start of a conclusion to the 17-year war that officials say could take at least many months....

[Zhang Fei]

[Mr. President - you promised us you would not telegraph the troop movements to the enemy. You have now initiated a major attack by radical Islam on a weakened force. It is now a question of when and where. Please listen to your military advisors.]

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Mattis is probably resigning over this. I think it’s a risky play. Ford took little damage over the fall of Saigon because the Democrats prevented him from providing air support to the ARVN. Footage from the fall of Kabul to the Taliban won’t exactly help Trump in 2020. Now that the President has said we’re withdrawing, the Taliban has no incentive to negotiate any kind of deal. Heck, it will probably make special arrangements for a going-away party to inflict as many casualties as possible on the rearguard force. I don’t envy the last 1000 guys being evacuated. Heck, I’d almost expect large chunks of the current Afghan security forces to join the Taliban’s send-off party, purely as a survival strategy.

[grey_whiskers]

I fear you mistook my point.

Corrupt politicians either bully, or work with, certain individuals within the military to facility manufacture & distribution of these narcotics, using the military's logistical supply lines.

Withdrawing the military breaks the supply chain of drugs from Afghanistan to here, at least by *that* route; and cuts off the $$$ to the corrupt US citizens involved.

[CodeToad]

Obama campaigned on doing this.

[nicollo]

After W took Iraq, we had a huge force there and should have used it to reduce Assad and the Iranians. Instead we put our tanks in garages and hunkered down under Islamic and Democrat attacks. We no longer have the forces there to topple the enemy regimes on the ground. How can we win in Syria when Assad and the Russians run the country and we’re just fighting insurgents? If ISIS comes back, go back in.

Exactly. The opportunity was prime but the window was short and closed before Bush took advantage of it.

Bush could have resolved the Mideast, and instead left a FUBAR that Obama turned over to the Iranians.

Oh, and the Norks...

[luvie]

Amen to that. That so-called war has gone on long enough and can never be won unless the whole place is obliterated.

[mrsmith]

Risky business.

China would pay big money for Aeghan.
We sdould/can take it.

[marajade]

Syria belonged to Russia before Trump came into office. We can thank Obama for that.

Again, we’ve been in Afghanistan for 17 years and the job is still just 1/2 finished. How many more years would it take to finish it?

[Jarhead9297]

We’re at 73 years in Japan

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

07-19-2018 you joined.

Rabidly anti Trump statement meant to divide us.

You look like a duck, walk like a duck and quack like a duck.

You my fine feathered friend are a troll as are many of the recent new joiners.

[Mr Rogers]

“We’re at 73 years in Japan”

In Japan, the average man doesn’t believe he has the right to kill his wives or daughters any time they offend him. And Japan is far more important to us than Afghanistan is. Rumsfeld was right: Over throw the Taliban, and tell whoever follows that we will bomb them into eternity if they do anything to harm the USA. Then stay out!

[morphing libertarian]

The Talies will own Kabul by April and i don’t much care.

[Fai Mao]

“Give them arms, but not one of our boots on their soil ever again!”

I’d give them boots too, they just need to wear the boots

[rktman]

You need to put your specs on sincevyour about 10 years off. You must have me mixed with someone else.

[Dogbert41]

"Syris is a different story entirely. I believe Trump is making a mistake there."

Our involvement in Syria is just as convoluted, nefarious, and screwed up as it was in Libya. If you can't explain what the F we are doing there and why we are there on a postage stamp, then get us the hell out!

[Lopeover]

Good. Let’s get the hell out of these sh*tholes.

[Lopeover]

Hello, some cultures are infinitely better than others. Let’s get out of there. The best thing to do is exterminate all the males age 7 and older. There is real toxic masculinity and misogyny there.

[Windflier]

Dumbass talk show host, Chris Krok (WBAP 820AM) in Dallas, is ripping the President a new one for taking us out of Afghanistan.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing!

[Squeako]

American armed forces leaving Afghanistan and Syria make me think Iran is handled and we’ll find out in the near future.

[caww]

You cannot assist a nation that does not want to help itself ‘change’ from a backwater nation. Any of the natives still in Afghanistan, who can make any changes, are those who are 'funded' by groups outside the nation... are pretty much there by choice and many don't want to, or do not have the ability to recover 'the years the locusts have eaten'..... The will of the people living there to return Aphganistan to the modern age just are not sufficient to do the work of rebuilding their nation....sometimes it's like trying to win a war between the hatfields and mccoys......you can offer them modern facilities, and governance that's workable but they remain mountain people at heart.

[BeauBo]

Gee, that would free up billions in DoD’s budget, that has already been appropriated for FY19 - if only the DoD could use their budget to build the wall...

Maybe these are hostages in the budget negotiation. Perhaps the Israel lobby will contact Democrat Senators to fix this quickly, before Iran masses on their border with Syria.