After almost 7 months, President Donald Trump will detail his strategy for the war in Afghanistan, America’s longest military conflict, now in its 16th year.
A White House statement on Sunday said Trump would “provide an update on the path forward for America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia.”
Trump has long been skeptical of the U.S. approach in the region.
He announced a strategic review soon after taking office in January and has privately questioned whether sending more troops was wise, U.S. officials said.
“We’re not winning,” he told advisers in a mid-July meeting, questioning whether Army General John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, should be fired, an official said.
Earlier this year, Trump gave Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, opening the door for future troop increases requested by Nicholson. The general, who leads U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, said in February he needed “a few thousand” additional forces, some potentially drawn from U.S. allies.
Analysts expect Trump to accept advice from his Defense Secretarty Jim Mattis and to bow to reported pressure from his Vice President Mike Pence and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
A senior administration official said the likeliest outcome was that Trump would agree to a modest increase in U.S. troops. Current U.S. troop numbers are about 8,400.
