Mattis: Trump Has Made a Decision on Afghanistan Strategy After Careful Consideration

James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated that Donald Trump has made his decision regarding the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan after thorough reviews. In a conversation with accompanying journalists during his trip to Jordan, Mattis noted that the President will personally share the decision with the American people. He did not provide further details about the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan or mention a potential announcement time. However, the White House announced on Sunday evening, August 20, that Trump would unveil the new strategy regarding Afghanistan on Monday night, Washington time, during a televised address. Since the beginning of Trump's presidency in February, the U.S. government has prioritized reviewing its strategy in Afghanistan, and on Friday, Trump met with senior national security advisors at Camp David to discuss this matter. Initially, the White House stated that no decision had been made regarding the reduction of U.S. forces in Afghanistan during this meeting. However, on Saturday, August 19, the President clarified in a tweet that decisions, including those regarding Afghanistan, had been made at the Camp David meeting. According to Reuters, U.S. officials indicated that Trump received necessary information about various options, ranging from the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan to a limited increase in troop numbers. Currently, there are 8,400 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, and one proposed strategy is to maintain the current troop level with a potential limited increase or decrease. Additionally, according to Reuters, National Security Advisor General McMaster and some senior military commanders are advocating for an increase in military forces in Afghanistan, a plan that has also received support from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Reuters quoted an unnamed U.S. official stating that this plan is based on increasing military personnel in Afghanistan by three to five thousand. Meanwhile, reports indicate that some officials in Trump's administration, who oppose globalization, support the idea of a complete withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan. Additionally, Reuters quoted Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, stating that American lawmakers expect the Trump administration to inform them about the new strategy before finalizing the number of troops. Another Democratic Senator, Ben Cardin, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, also expressed opposition to the idea of increasing troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. has been present in Afghanistan for over 15 years since the overthrow of the Taliban government following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but there are no signs of an end to the war in the country. According to Reuters, U.S. intelligence and security agencies estimated in May that even with an increase in U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the situation is likely to deteriorate next year. Based on U.S. estimates, the Afghan government controls less than 60 percent of the country's territory, with about half of the country under the control of insurgents or their activities.