Pentagon draws up plans for quick Afghanistan withdrawal just in case Trump blindsides military

[fleur-de-lisa]

Source: NBC News

By Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon recently began drawing up plans for an abrupt withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan in case President Donald Trump surprises military leaders by ordering an immediate drawdown as he did in Syria, three current and former defense officials said.

The contingency planning is ongoing, officials said, and includes the possibility that Trump orders all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan within weeks. Officials cautioned, however, that the planning is a precaution and there is currently no directive from the White House to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

snip . . .

Another official described the president's current approach to Syria as "a dress rehearsal" for what could happen in Afghanistan.

Trump has long threatened to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan, but his repeated emphasis in recent weeks on the need to end all foreign wars has infused a new sense of urgency into the renewed Pentagon effort, officials said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/pentagon-draws-plans-quick-afghanistan-withdrawal-just-case-trump-blindsides-n1069611

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. That only encourages him to do something equally idiotic. Plan it, but don't announce it.

(You have a dangling unclosed Italic tag that is confusing the layout.)

[atreides1]

2. He'll just send them to Saudi Arabia

Once the Saudis pay him...

[keithbvadu2]

3. 'Bring them home' seems to mean 'to Iraq'.

'Bring them home' seems to mean 'to Iraq'.

[Odoreida]

4. I say way past time to get out of Afghanistan even if Trump does it.

Really time to get out was 2003, but Dubya decided to try and make the Afghans into little Americans.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. No he didn't. He shoveled $ 8 billion taxpayer money in to Iraq & Afghanistan nation-building while

... while he railed against nation-building.

Hence it was a racket. A lot (most?) of that nation-building money disappeared, according to a report by the Government Accounting Office or similar entity (not sure of exact agency).

$ 8,000,000,000 is a lot of money, even these days.

[Odoreida]

6. Oh I agree ...

... I was just sarcastically repeating Dubya's justification.

[doc03]

7. I heard this morning that the people in Syria

threw stones and rotten vegetables at our troops retreating from Syria. The Democrats need to keep repeating that, nothing pisses Trumpsters off more than someone disrespecting the troops or their flag.

[TomVilmer]

8. Yankee go home...

... but in an orderly manner, using it to give the different local fractions a chance of change for the better. Not just running away, making the area more unstable in a power vacuum.

[jpak]

9. Please tell me there is no "pee tape"

Only Putin would benefit from an abrupt cut and run from Afghanistan.

He's calling in his chits.

Yup

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. Sad