Trump plans to reduce the American troop contingent in Afghanistan to 2,500 by mid-January. At what point is America's troop commitment too low to sustain a NATO effort to keep Afghanistan from being a sanctuary for jihadis?
NATO could pay a heavy price for leaving Afghanistan too early, its chief warned Tuesday after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw a significant number of American troops from the conflict-ravaged country in the coming weeks.
NATO has fewer than 12,000 troops from dozens of nations in Afghanistan helping to train and advise the country's national security forces. More than half are not U.S. troops, but the 30-nation alliance relies heavily on the United States for transport, air support, logistics and other assistance. It's unlikely that NATO could even wind down its operation without U.S. help.
Well, it seemed clear we were preparing for the big skedaddle.
UPDATE: If this is just another step in this mission statement, I'll be fine:
In closing, we set out to accomplish three goals in 2001. First, go abroad and destroy terrorists, their organizations, and their sanctuaries. Two, strengthen our defenses against future attacks. And three, prevent the continued growth of Islamist terrorism to include by working with allies and local partners to take the lead in the fight.
I hope 2,500 Americans and however many coalition troops remain with us there are enough. Killing jihadis is still necessary.
