Small Wars Journal

Afghan War Grinds On, But It’s Mostly Absent From Obama’s Final State of the Union

Wed, 01/13/2016 - 2:54am

Afghan War Grinds On, But It’s Mostly Absent From Obama’s Final State of the Union by Missy Ryan, Washington Post

In his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama highlighted his administration’s efforts to address a host of threats overseas: the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, even climate change.

But he gave only glancing mention to America’s longest war, one whose conclusion Obama once touted among his chief foreign policy accomplishments.

Obama, who made the Afghan war his own when he surged the number of U.S. troops there, outlined plans in May 2014 for putting a definitive end to the conflict. In Afghanistan, U.S. officials said, American and allied forces had built up a credible local military and beaten back an entrenched Taliban militancy.

Today, it is far harder today for Obama to claim victory.

In recent months, the Taliban has proved its strength in a series of offensives that have put local forces on their heels and even surprised American military leaders. Late last month, six U.S. troops were killed in a Taliban attack, the most deadly insurgent assault on American service members in year…

Read on.