Small Wars Journal

Trump’s Pick to Lead the Afghan War Says He Won’t Talk Turning Points ‘Unless There is One’

Tue, 06/19/2018 - 4:15pm

Trump’s Pick to Lead the Afghan War Says He Won’t Talk Turning Points ‘Unless There is One’ by Dan Lamothe – Washington Post

The U.S. general nominated by President Trump to be the commander of the war in Afghanistan told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he wouldn’t speak about the war reaching a turning point “unless there is one.”

The statement by Army Lt. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller during his confirmation hearing was an acknowledgment that the war has dragged on nearly 17 years and of how past U.S. commanders often proclaimed that conditions were set for forces to make significant progress soon.

Miller said that he couldn’t “guarantee you a timeline or an end date” but that the United States should stay in Afghanistan because it is vital to U.S. interests and countering terrorist groups…

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