Trump plans to deploy thousands to Afghanistan

The Pentagon is preparing to deploy up to 5,000 new U.S. troops to aid Afghanistan’s army against a Taliban insurgency. Defense Secretary James Mattis still needs to finalize the deployment details and plans to make an announcement as soon as next week. The news comes days after President Donald Trump granted Mattis authority to control Afghanistan troop levels. Most of the additional troops will help train and advise Afghan forces, while others assist ongoing counterterror operations against the Taliban and Islamic State (ISIS). In the last few months, ISIS has orchestrated multiple deadly attacks in Kabul, killing six U.S. troops along the way. While testifying on Capitol Hill this week, Mattis painted a grim picture for the region: “We are not winning in Afghanistan right now.” The battle in Afghanistan is the longest conflict in U.S. history—spanning its third administration, with no endpoint in sight. But the U.S. presence has declined over time, with current troop levels vastly lower than under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

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