Small Wars Journal

Trump Promises Continued U.S. Presence in Afghanistan Amid Withdrawal Talks

Tue, 08/20/2019 - 5:51pm

Trump Promises Continued U.S. Presence in Afghanistan Amid Withdrawal Talks by Leo Shane III – Military Times

President Donald Trump vowed he will bring home some — but not all — of the U.S. military force currently deployed to Afghanistan, amid reports of ongoing negotiations with Taliban leaders on an end to the nearly 18-year-old war.

“We’ll always have intelligence and we’ll always have someone there,” Trump said during an unscheduled press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday. “That does seem to be the Harvard University of terrorism. So we’ll always have someone there.”

Amid questions from reporters, Trump confirmed reports that U.S. officials are discussing withdrawal plans with both the Taliban and Afghanistan government officials. About 14,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in the country…

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