By Sten Rynning, The Conversation: “On its surface, this plan hits a lot of important marks for creating a stable and peaceful Afghanistan, but as an expert on the country and on international intervention, I also retain grave doubts about its sustainability and feasibility.”
A Taliban suicide bomber struck an Afghan National Army convoy Wednesday in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, killing seven people and injuring more than 40 others. The attack marked the first Taliban-orchestrated incident since President Donald Trump announced his strategy for Afghanistan Monday night. The Taliban already control much of Helmand province outside of Lashkar Gah and frequently conduct attacks in the provincial capital.
The Cipher Take:
Both U.S. and Afghan Security forces face constant threats from Taliban perpetrated violence, which has become a near-everyday occurrence in Afghanistan. The Taliban currently controls more territory in Afghanistan than at any point since 2001 while Afghan Security Forces are now believed to be in control of less than 60 percent of the country. In his speech delivered Monday evening, President Trump said that he intends to keep the U.S. military in Afghanistan and hinted at increasing U.S. troop levels in the country, although he did not address specific troop numbers or lay out benchmarks for the American people to assess his strategy’s success. Trump also outlined the U.S. approach towards the Taliban saying that one of the definitions of a U.S. victory would be “preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan.” For the Cipher Brief’s analysis on the President’s speech, please click here.