Combating His Instinct, Trump Commits U.S. To Another Tour Of Duty In Afghanistan
After 16 years in Afghanistan, the U.S. can neither declare victory nor disengage. So the president calls for more troops, more time, more sacrifice — with no way of knowing how much might be enough.
Five years ago, before he was a candidate for president, Donald Trump was pretty sure he knew what to do about Afghanistan. It was a losing proposition, "a complete waste" in terms of "blood and treasure."
"Why are we continuing to train these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in the back?" he asked on Twitter in 2012. "Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!"
More recently, candidate Trump was less certain about exactly when the U.S. should exit the struggle he railed against continuing.
And by Monday night, , President Trump had a different view. His first instinct had
