Trump hands to Pentagon troop level decisions on Afghanistan
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US President Donald Trump's decision to allow his Pentagon chief to set US troop levels in Afghanistan won't mean an immediate infusion of troops but should improve management of the war effort, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday. Still missing: an overall Trump strategy for America's longest conflict.
"I will set the US military commitment, consistent with the commander in chief's strategic direction," Mattis told a Senate panel, announcing a break with past White House control over troop numbers.
Mattis made the announcement a day after being verbally hammered by Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee's Republican chairman, for the administration's failure to present an overarching strategy for Afghanistan. McCain said the U.S. is "not winning" in Afghanistan. Mattis agreed.
