US Senator McCain Welcomes Trump’s New Strategy on Afghanistan

US Senator John McCain praised US President Donald Trump’s new strategy on Afghanistan, calling it a “big step in the right direction.”

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Monday, the US leader announced a new strategy for Afghanistan, which included expanded authorities for US troops to target terrorists in the country and called on Pakistan and India to contribute to the stability of Afghanistan. However, the president refused to publicly specify the number of troops or any future military action plans.

“I commend President Trump for taking a big step in the right direction with the new strategy for Afghanistan. The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue, and in the interim, the Taliban have made dangerous inroads. Nevertheless, I believe the President is now moving us well beyond the prior administration’s failed strategy of merely postponing defeat,” McCain, who is also the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement published on his website on Monday.

The US politician added that Trump’s effort to attract the regional countries to the settlement of the Afghan crisis was also the right move, as the regional security was not only the US responsibility.

According to the representative of the Senate’s committee, the US Congress should continue meeting its obligations in the issues related to Afghanistan and provide the resources needed for it.

Earlier in August, McCain had criticized Trump for the absence of a clear strategy on Afghanistan. The senator has also made his own proposal, stressing that the conditions on the provision of assistance to Afghanistan should be stricter and Kabul should show progress in the fight against corruption and make its government more transparent.

Afghanistan is experiencing political, social and security instability, with extremists taking advantage of the turmoil in the country.

The United States and its allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001, just after the 9/11 terror attacks. The mission in Afghanistan ended in 2014. On January 1, 2015, NATO announced its new mission in the country, called Resolute Support, to train and assist the Afghan security forces. Despite Washington’s efforts, the Asian state is still hit by multiple attacks against civilian and military targets.

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