President Donald Trump angrily claimed the U.S. isn’t “winning” the war in Afghanistan, according to an NBC report.
The conflict in Afghanistan is coming up on its 16th anniversary and is the longest war in American history. Two American troops were killed in Afghanistan Wednesday from a suicide attack for which the Taliban claimed responsibility. Nine American service members have been killed in the conflict so far this year.
The White House has yet to decide on a strategy for the war, and the Wednesday NBC report said that during a July 19 meeting President Trump stated, “We aren’t winning. We are losing.” A resurgent Taliban has been gaining ground, which is something Trump pointed out at the July meeting, according to NBC.
Damaged cars are seen after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan.REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
At that meeting, the president reportedly rejected a plan put together by administration advisers and said that the commander in charge of Afghanistan should be fired. That commander, Gen. John Nicholson, previously testified before a Senate committee that in order to win in Afghanistan, the U.S. needs to deploy several thousand more troops.
Sending more troops is likely a plan supported by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, as a former intelligence adviser for the two men told The Daily Caller in April that more soldiers are needed to win the conflict.
Another option reportedly supported by White House advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner is using mercenaries to train Afghan soldiers and conduct operations against the Taliban. Erik Prince, founder of the infamous Blackwater, said in an interview that this would represent an “off ramp” for the U.S.
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