President Donald Trump promised voters he would wipe radical Islamic terrorism off the planet — and so far, he’s winning in the Middle East.
Trump’s national address on Monday recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, declaring U.S. troops must “fight to win” against Islamic terrorism.
But unlike, former President Barack Obama, Trump is taking on new tactics. For example, during his speech he pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America’s longest war.
Earlier this year, Trump announced he was entrusting Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis and the military with the decision about how many troops would be needed.
In talking points sent Monday to congressional Republicans and supportive groups, the White House affirmed that the troop numbers were up to Mattis and added that the administration wasn’t seeking more money from Congress for the strategy in the current fiscal year, which concludes at the end of next month.
Hours later, Mattis himself arrived in the Iraqi capital Tuesday to work on a different Islamic terror fight addressed in Trump’s speech. The president has also has pledged to take a more aggressive, effective approach against ISIS in Iraq and Syria — and Mattis told reporters in Baghdad that ISIS’ days were numbered.
“You see, ISIS is now caught in-between converging forces,” he said about the Islamic terror group that, under Obama, burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. “So ISIS’ days are certainly numbered, but it’s not over yet and it’s not going to be over any time soon.”
In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said Monday the U.S. would shift away from a “time-based” approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.
He also committed our troops to a new “regional” strategy that addressed the roles played by other South Asian nation — especially Pakistan’s harboring of elements of the Taliban.
“America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress,” Trump said. “However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article