By Missy Ryan & Greg Jaffe, The Washington Post: “President Trump’s most senior military and foreign policy advisers have proposed a major shift in strategy in Afghanistan that would effectively put the United States back on a war footing with the Taliban.
By Claude Rakisits, The Strategist (ASPI): “General John Nicholson, the top US Commander in Afghanistan, stated at a recent Congressional hearing that the Russians were providing military support to the Taliban. Russia has vehemently refuted those accusations, insisting that Moscow’s interaction with the Taliban is limited to convincing them to join negotiations. The Taliban has also rejected those claims but no one believes them.”
President Donald Trump faces a stark choice as his security advisers and military commanders push him to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan — a step that would escalate a conflict he spent years deriding and threaten to violate his “America first” campaign pledge. - Politico
The number of troops that the United States will add to the fight in Afghanistan will depend on how many additional forces NATO supplies to expand the battle against terrorists there, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday. – Stars and Stripes
Reports of a proposed significant increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan brought praise from critics of the drawdown of forces in the region but renewed concerns from Democrats unsure of the president’s strategy for the war. – Military Times
President Donald Trump wants the Pentagon to come up with a new plan to win in Afghanistan before authorizing the deployment of thousands more U.S. troops to the 15-year-old war, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday. – Military.com
Afghan security forces are battling Taliban insurgents blocking a main route into the northern city of Kunduz with improvised explosives, officials said on Tuesday, as fears grew local residents could be forced to flee the city. - Reuters