Foreign Policy

National security adviser in Kabul for talks days after U.S. dropped massive bomb on ISIS forces

U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster was in Kabul on Sunday for what is the first visit by a Trump administration official to Afghanistan, officials here said, coming just days after U.S. forces dropped a 22,000-pound bomb on militants there and revived debate over the war.

President Trump has said little about the conflict in Afghanistan, spurring concerns among Afghan officials about his administration’s commitment to the fight.

More than 8,000 U.S. troops are helping Afghan forces battle the Taliban. The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., has said that he will need thousands of additional troops to better support the international coalition’s mission.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster was in Kabul on Sunday for what is the first visit by a Trump administration official to Afghanistan, officials here said, coming just days after U.S. forces dropped a 22,000-pound bomb on militants there and revived debate over the war.

President Trump has said little about the conflict in Afghanistan, spurring concerns among Afghan officials about his administration’s commitment to the fight.

More than 8,000 U.S. troops are helping Afghan forces battle the Taliban. The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., has said that he will need thousands of additional troops to better support the international coalition’s mission.

On Friday, U.S. forces used the largest conventional bomb in the military’s arsenal — the GBU-43 — to hit a stronghold of Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan.

The deployment of such massive weaponry stunned many in Afghanistan and around the world, jolting the public’s ­attention back to what has been a grinding war that began in 2001. The U.S. military has not released its assessment of the bomb’s impact, but officials here say that more than 90 militants were killed.

Senior U.S. officials said last week that a review of the Afghanistan strategy is underway.

 

Read the whole story from the The Washington Post.

Featured image courtesy of The New York Times.

About SOFREP News Team View All Posts

The SOFREP News Team is a collective of professional military journalists. Brandon Tyler Webb is the SOFREP News Team's Editor-in-Chief. Guy D. McCardle is the SOFREP News Team's Managing Editor. Brandon and Guy both manage the SOFREP News Team.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In