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The U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Washington Post
Posted: January 31st, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/26...
Top U.S. military commanders, who only a few months ago were planning to pull the last American troops out of Afghanistan by years end, are now quietly talking about an American commitment that could keep thousands of troops in the country for decades. The new American outlook marks a striking change for Obama, who campaigned on a promise to bring American troops home and has said repeatedly that he does not support the idea of endless war. And it highlights a major shift for the American military, which has spent much of the past decade racing to hit milestones as part of its broader exit strategy from Afghanistan and Iraq. These days, that phrase has largely disappeared from the militarys lexicon. In its place, there is a broad recognition in the Pentagon that building an effective Afghan army and police force will take a generations commitment, including billions of dollars a year in outside funding and constant support from thousands of foreign advisers on the ground. There are now 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Plans call for Obama to halve that force by the time he leaves office, but he could defer the decision to the next president.
Note: The US has spent several trillion dollars pursuing a policy of endless war since 9/11. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing war news articles from reliable major media sources.
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