President
Trump received glowing praise Thursday from
Afghanistan President
Ashraf Ghani for the new war strategy, which was credited for turning around the 16-year war against Taliban militants and other radical Islamic terrorists.
“It is a difference of day and night,”
Mr. Ghani said at a meeting with
Mr. Trump. “The cloud of uncertainty has been lifted, but equally important is your commitment to a political solution at the end of this process.”
Mr. Trump announced the new strategy a month ago. It included setting long-term goals for the war effort, sending more U.S. troops to train and assist the Afghan military and revisions rules of engagement.
Before
Mr. Trump took office, President Obama had begun a drawdown of U.S. troops and then halted the pullout as conditions deteriorated.
“You made this decision on the basis of courage and determination. We salute you,”
Mr. Ghani said of the renewed commitment to the war.
Mr. Trump met with the
Afghanistan president on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
“The spirit is tremendous,” he said.
Both
Mr. Trump and
Mr. Ghani stressed that the U.S. forces were serving only as trainers and advisers to Afghan troops who were doing the fighting.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. had no choice but to see the war through to the end. He said there were 20 different terrorist groups in
Afghanistan, which was the staging ground for the 9/11 attacks that precipitated the war.
“It’s a hornet’s nest from that standpoint,”
Mr. Trump said. “We are hitting them very, very hard and very effectively and we really have no choice but to do it.”
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