President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that has administration has made a long-awaited decision about what to do in the war in Afghanistan.
“Important day spent at Camp David with our very talented Generals and military leaders. Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan,” Trump wrote. The White House has been deliberating for months now about what do with America’s longest war in history.
There are currently 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, and Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster previously suggested sending thousands more troops to the conflict, according to a source with knowledge of the internal deliberations. Trump rejected this proposal at the time, but with the departure of war-weary adviser Steve Bannon, the president might agree with sending a larger force to Afghanistan.
Sending more troops to Afghanistan is something supported by Gen. John Nicholson, the military commander in the country. Another option that has been presented to the president is using private military contractors to mentor Afghan troops and provide air support. This is being pushed by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.
A source knowledgeable of the situation told TheDC that Trump liked an op-ed by Prince in which he laid out his plan. However, Politico reported Saturday that McMaster barred Prince from attending meetings about the Afghanistan war in Camp David on Friday. He was reportedly previously scheduled to attend these meetings.
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