Military Walks Fine Line Discussing Afghanistan After Trump Orders Withdrawal Plans by Dan Lamothe – Washington Post
A week after President Trump directed the military to draw up plans to withdraw about half the U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan, military officials are walking a fine line detailing the future of the longest U.S. war in history.
Trump pressed White House national security adviser John Bolton to make the move Dec. 18, and he and other U.S. officials were trying to talk him out of it, administration officials said. Since then, no announcements have been made, and senior U.S. military officers have said they have received no new orders.
The situation has put the U.S. generals in the awkward position of attempting to downplay the significance of a potential reduction in U.S. troops in Afghanistan while American diplomats try to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban. They must do so just weeks ahead of Trump’s State of the Union address, slated for Jan. 22, an event at which presidents often roll out new policy plans…