Trump Gives Mattis Power to Send More Troops to Afghanistan
- U.S. generals have recommended sending thousands more troops
- Defense secretary says he hasn’t made a decision on that yet
Will America Ever Leave Afghanistan?
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President Donald Trump has delegated authority to determine troop levels in Afghanistan to Defense Secretary James Mattis, the Pentagon chief told lawmakers.
Mattis said Wednesday at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing that he hasn’t made any decisions about sending more Americans into the nation’s longest-running war. But in testimony earlier this week, Mattis warned lawmakers that the U.S. isn’t winning the war in Afghanistan more than 15 years since U.S. forces were deployed to oust the country’s Taliban leadership after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.