Trump raises stakes in Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump on Monday opened the door to an increase in US troops in Afghanistan as part of a new strategy for the region, arguing against a hasty withdrawal from America's longest military conflict.

Trump, in a prime-time address from Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States. He also laid out a tougher policy toward Pakistan.

The Republican president said he overcame his own doubts about the war that began in October 2001 after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that the war was too costly in lives and money.

"My original instinct was to pull out," he said in the speech, but added that he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US' ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the US-backed government in Kabul.

Trump did not say how many US troops would be sent, but Defense Secretary James Mattis has plans to send about 4,000 more to add to the 8,400 deployed in Afghanistan.

Former US president Barack Obama had planned to reduce US troops in Afghanistan to some 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all by the end of 2016 when his presidency concluded.

However, given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Obama administration repeatedly postponed the withdrawal.

Currently, there are about 8,400 US troops and another 5,000 forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the ground to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban and conduct counterterrorism missions.

The new strategy comes at a time when senior US officials warned of a dire security situation in Afghanistan.

Mattis said on Tuesday that he had directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out Trump's South Asia strategy after a rigorous interagency review that he would discuss with NATO allies.

"I have directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the president's strategy," Mattis said in a statement.

"I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies - several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers," he added.

In a congressional hearing in June, Mattis said that the US was still "not winning" the longest war in US history in Afghanistan.

In May, US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats warned that the security situation in Afghanistan would most likely deteriorate even if the US and its allies offered more military aid.

Reuters - Xinhua