12 August 2017

News Story: Trump Close To Making Decision On Afghan Strategy

U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was "very close" to deciding whether he will approve a plan to deploy more troops in Afghanistan.

“We are getting close. We’re getting very close. It’s a very big decision for me,” Trump told reporters on Thursday at Bedminster in New Jersey.

“I took over a mess, and we’re going to make it a lot less messy. But that has been a place—17 years, our longest war, I read in one of your columns. And, frankly, it’s going to be a decision that’s going to be made very soon,” Trump said, without giving a timeline for the policy review.

The State Department said the U.S.’ Afghan strategy review is still underway.

“There have been a lot of conversations and negotiations with the President’s National Security Team. Of course, that includes Secretary (of State) Tillerson as part of that,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

“We are looking at this as not just a solution to Afghanistan, but also a broader concern that incorporates India and Pakistan as well as a regional solution. We just don’t have that plan,” she said in response to a question.

Read the full story at TOLOnews