USS Utah
06-14-2017, 05:25 PM
On Afghanistan, Mattis said, “We’re not winning right now” and promised to brief the committee by mid-July on the details of the administration’s plans for continued support of the Afghan government. The danger of pulling out of Afghanistan even after 17 years of fighting there, Mattis said, was “we’ve seen what came out of these ungoverned space” there following the civil war. The result was a Taliban triumph and safe havens for al Qaeda to launch the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. He described Afghanistan then as “a center for international terrorism” and could be again. As to what defines winning in Afghanistan, Mattis defined it as the Kabul government through its security forces being able to control the violence. The United States and allies will be helping it train the forces and provide high-end support, especially aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
https://news.usni.org/2017/06/14/mccain-wheres-strategy-mattis-working
https://news.usni.org/2017/06/14/mccain-wheres-strategy-mattis-working