On Monday night, President Trump is set to announce plans for a troop increase for Afghanistan at the Army’s Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. The number of troops was leaked to Fox News by a “Senior official.”
BREAKING: President Trump has approved sending 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, senior official tells Fox News
— BNO News (@BNONews) August 21, 2017
Fox News reports:
President Trump has signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, ahead of his address to the nation Monday night, Fox News has learned.
Trump is set to unveil his strategy for Afghanistan, becoming the third commander-in-chief to attempt to stabilize the war-torn country and forge a victory in what is now America’s longest war.
The speech is scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT Monday. The president will deliver the nationally televised address to troops stationed at the Army’s Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, located next to Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump tweeted Saturday that he had reached a decision on the way forward, after meeting to review options with top advisers at Camp David. While the president has not revealed the contours of his plan, associates expect he will keep U.S. troops in the country and possibly approve sending thousands more.
“I think he is going to give [his generals] a chance to prove what they want and their strategy,” former Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie told “Fox & Friends,” noting that Trump can adjust the plan in the future.
On the same day Steve Bannon departed from the White House, Vice-President Pence and National Security Advisor McMaster teamed up to push President Trump to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
POLITICO reports:
Cabinet members in favor of sending more troops to Afghanistan teamed up ahead of a high-level meeting on Friday to persuade President Donald Trump to step up American military involvement in the 16-year-old war, two sources told POLITICO.
Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser H.R. McMaster rehearsed their pitch heading into the Camp David strategy session in an effort to persuade Trump to accept commanders’ proposals to beef up the 8,400 American troops in the country, the sources said.
The sources – an administration official and a senior White House aide – also confirmed that Erik Prince, the founder of the former Blackwater private security firm, had been scheduled to attend the session but that he was blocked at the last minute. The administration official said McMaster was the one who blocked Prince.
The administration official said Pence returned early from a trip to Latin America to work out the details with McMaster on how to get Trump to agree to send more troops, something he’s been hesitant to do.
McMaster enlisted the vice president’s help about six weeks ago, according to a third official, asking him to help build consensus within the administration and to work with him to make the case to the president.
“The vice president views his role on this as an honest broker,” a top aide to Pence said Friday. “The vice president has not weighed in on any side other than to make sure that the options presented to the president are fully fleshed out and objective.”
Dear Reader - The enemies of freedom are choking off the Gateway Pundit from the resources we need to bring you the truth. Since many asked for it, we now have a way for you to support The Gateway Pundit directly - and get ad-reduced access. Plus, there are goodies like a special Gateway Pundit coffee mug for supporters at a higher level. You can see all the options by clicking here - thank you for your support!
