President Donald Trump’s plan recommitting the United States to the war in Afghanistan garnered more GOP support this week from several U.S. Senators who highlighted the strategy’s goal and commended the sacrifices made thus far by the U.S. military, which now has been fighting America’s longest-running conflict in history there.
“I support the direction the president laid out [Monday] night and remain forever grateful for the tremendous sacrifices made by the brave servicemen and women serving our nation,” said Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
Capito, who has visited Afghanistan and recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, said she understands the threats that these regions pose to U.S. national security. “And I recognize that it is in our interest to work together to combat terrorism and stabilize Afghanistan,” she said.
During his Aug. 21 speech to a military audience at Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., that was nationally televised, Trump provided broad goals, but scant details in what many called an overdue policy strategy for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and South Asia. While Trump said troop levels in Afghanistan would increase, he didn’t say by how many; nor did he say how long U.S. troops would be in the country.
The president also said he would prioritize regional partnerships with Pakistan and India and planned to change military rules of engagement, making future strategy decisions contingent upon conditions on the ground rather than an arbitrary timetable.
It’s a path forward that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said would stabilize both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Collins also said Trump provided clarity where the nation has lacked a “clear focus and defined strategy” in Afghanistan for many years, despite sacrifices by U.S. service members and taxpayers.
And Trump made clear that the Afghan government must do its part “in defending its people, ending havens for terrorists, and curtailing corruption,” Collins said.
“I talked [Monday] with White House Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert and look forward to examining the details of the president’s plan.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) also highlighted the role played in Afghanistan by those U.S. services members who have been part of the nearly two decades of fighting there.
“America’s finest –- our brave men and women in uniform –- have risked and sacrificed their lives in the global effort to rid the world of radical jihadist terrorism,” Tillis said Monday. “While we have made significant progress, we cannot afford Afghanistan to now be turned into a safe haven for ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.”
Tillis said Trump’s plan clearly defined America’s objectives in Afghanistan and South Asia, and he said they “will help promote peace and stability in the region and ultimately make us safer here at home.”