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Afghanistan
Afghanistan begs US troops to stay
2019-02-02
[Washington Examiner] Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has offered to negotiate ways to minimize the costs of keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan amid concern that U.S. forces will pull out of the region prematurely, a new report says.

Although Ghani did not include specific proposals for how to cut costs of U.S. troops and contractors in Afghanistan, his letter to President Trump dated Monday says the objective is "maximum effectiveness to aid efficiency." He also requested Trump visit Afghanistan soon to "discuss a mutually beneficial path forward toward lasting peace and increased security for both of our countries and peoples," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Ghani also alluded to media reports that Trump instructed the Pentagon to withdraw half of the roughly 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in December, although the National Security Council denied that such orders were given.

"While the Afghan government remains a steadfast and committed partner to the United States in the pursuit of our shared security and peace objectives, we are aware of the recent changes in the context of our relationships and a seeming shift in U.S. priorities and objectives in our country and the region," Ghani wrote in the letter.

Although it was uncertain as of Thursday if Trump had received the correspondence, the letter comes after U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Qatar last week.

Khalilzad said over the weekend that discussions with the Taliban in Qatar were " more productive than they have been in the past" and that the U.S. and Taliban agreed on a draft framework that would pull out the U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the future, one of the Taliban’s top priorities.
Posted by:Besoeker

#7  Afghanistan is a hole in the map where no country present. That is about all it is.

The best we can hope for is a century long game of playing "whack-a-mole" from that area.
Posted by: DarthVader   2019-02-02 17:39  

#6  "Aw, c'mon! The place won't be the same without you!"
Posted by: Sheba Speamp7770   2019-02-02 16:54  

#5  Their indigenous culture is more than 99% to blame

Surely Pakistani meddling has a little something to do with the troubles over there.
Posted by: trailing wife   2019-02-02 15:15  

#4  Their indigenous culture is more than 99% to blame for where they are right now. The people who were given more than 15 years of American blood and treasure to do something about that culture of theirs stole the treasure and laughed about the blood.

F*ck. Them.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-02-02 13:33  

#3  The Pacific Islanders after WW-2 had the Cargo Cult... Will the Afghans start building ceremonial firebases?
Posted by: magpie   2019-02-02 10:55  

#2  Nice toss Herb !
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-02-02 10:30  

#1  "I'm going to lose my baksheesh! Don't go, without you I'd have to live on my salary!"
Posted by: Herb McCoy   2019-02-02 10:24  

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