US Defense Secretary, James Mattis, has said the United States is “not winning” in Afghanistan war.
US not winning in Afghanistan: Mattis admits
14 Jun 2017 - 10:07
US Defense Secretary, James Mattis, has said the United States is “not winning” in Afghanistan war.
Facing tough questions from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, the Pentagon chief admitted Tuesday that the US forces were not performing well in Afghanistan.
“We are not winning in Afghanistan right now,” said Mattis. “We will correct this as soon as possible.”
He made the comments in response to McCain’s criticism about lack of an Afghanistan strategy after six months into the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“We want a strategy, and I don’t think that’s a hell of a lot to ask,” the Arizona Republican senator told Mattis. “We’re now six months into this administration. We still haven’t got a strategy for Afghanistan. It makes it hard for us to support you when we don’t have a strategy. We know what the strategy was for the last eight years: Don’t lose.”
US Army General John Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, said recently that several thousand troops should be added to the roughly 8,400 already stationed in the war-ravaged country to support the Afghan security forces against Taliban militants.
“I believe by mid-July, we’ll be able to brief you in detail,” Mattis stated. “We’re putting it together now and ... there are actions being taken to make certain that we don’t pay a price for the delay. But we recognize the need for urgency, and your criticism is fair.”
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