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<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>'s plan to withdraw US troops from <keyword id="6354541" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="afghanistan">Afghanistan</keyword> is meeting resistance from Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader <keyword id="192852" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mitch-McConnell">Mitch McConnell</keyword>.</li><li>"The consequences of a premature American exit would likely be even worse than President Obama's withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011, which fueled the rise of ISIS and a new round of global terrorism," McConnell said.</li><li>McConnell likened an Afghanistan withdrawal to the US's retreat from Vietnam.</li></ul><p>President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan is meeting resistance from Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who likened it to the US's retreat from Vietnam in 1975.</p><p>Speaking on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, McConnell, who also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitch-mcconnell-withdrawing-from-syria-is-a-grave-mistake/2019/10/18/c0a811a8-f1cd-11e9-89eb-ec56cd414732_story.html">opposed</a> a withdrawal from Syria, stressed that the US must provide a "limited but important role in defending American national security ... against terrorists who would like nothing more than for the most powerful force for good in the world to simply pick up our ball and go home."</p><p>"A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm," McConnell said, adding that it would as "humiliating" as it was for US troops to withdraw from Saigon in the 1970s.</p><p>"The consequences of a premature American exit would likely be even worse than President Obama's withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011, which fueled the rise of ISIS and a new round of global terrorism," McConnell added. Others, however, directly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-gates-isis-rise-2016-1">link</a> ISIS's rise to the Syrian Civil War.  </p><p>Trump had campaigned on withdrawing US troops from combat operations overseas, tweeting that US forces in Afghanistan would be "home by Christmas!"</p><p>On Friday, acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller issued a <a href="https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article247175994.html">memo</a> for Defense Department employees stating, "it's time to come home," from the war against Al Qaeda. Miller left some room for interpretation, adding that the US must "remain committed to finishing the war" and "avoid our past strategic error of failing to see the fight through to the finish."</p><p>McConnell's comments come as military officials ready themselves for an official directive from Trump as soon as this week, according to <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/16/politics/trump-afghanistan-iraq-troop-drawdown-order/index.html">reports</a>. Officials said they are preparing for a "warning order" to reduce their troop levels to 2,500 service members each in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the roughly 4,500 and 3,000 troops, respectively, CNN reported Monday.</p><p>McConnell's sentiment towards the potential drawdown has received similar concerns from House Republicans. </p><p>"For the sake of the Afghan people, it is essential that the ongoing peace process be given the best chance for success," Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/1328452132987686914?s=20">statement</a>. "A premature US withdrawal would not only jeopardize the Afghan government's ability to negotiate, but would endanger US counterterrorism interest."</p><p>The US's ongoing agreement with the Afghan government and the Taliban is contingent on a number of factors, including an overall reduction of violence. But following the ceasefire in February, violence in the country has dramatically spiked, prompting US officials to deliver a stark warning.</p><p>"I return to the region disappointed that despite commitments to lower violence, it has not happened. The window to achieve a political settlement will not stay open forever," Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted in October.</p>

Pulling US troops out of Afghanistan would be as 'humiliating' as Vietnam War defeat, top Republican says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Defense Department officials are planning to brief President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> on several options to withdraw all US troops from <keyword id="6354541" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="afghanistan">Afghanistan</keyword>, according to multiple reports.</li><li>One of the options includes a complete withdrawal before the 2020 US presidential election in November.</li><li>However, officials reportedly added that they were likely to advise Trump not to reduce the US's footprint too soon.</li><li>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, an ardent supporter of the Trump administration, cautioned that an abrupt withdrawal would be "horrendous."</li></ul><p>Defense Department officials are reportedly planning to brief President Donald Trump on several options to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan, including one to pull them out before the 2020 US presidential election in November.</p><p>Senior officials familiar with the plans said multiple options with varying timelines will soon be presented to the president, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/world/asia/afghanistan-troop-withdrawal-election-day.html">New York Times</a> report published Tuesday. Other plans included leaving 5,000 or 1,500 US troops in the country, according to a separate <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-is-drawing-up-afghan-withdrawal-plans-for-trump-11590533555">Wall Street Journal</a> report.</p><p>However, officials added that they were leaning towards advising Trump against reducing the US's footprint too soon. The prospect of pulling US forces by November would mark a shift from the vague peace agreement between representatives of a fraction of the Taliban's many factions and the US.</p><p>The US previously committed to pulling out 3,400 troops by July, and all of them by May 2021, if certain conditions were met. The US's withdrawal is contingent on the Taliban's clear separation from terrorist groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda; continued talks with the Afghan government, and an overall reduction of violence.</p><p><div type="image" title="Trump army coffin" height="2105" width="4209" msid="76021638" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Since the signing of the agreement in February, civilian casualties in the country have <a href="https://unama.unmissions.org/rising-civilian-casualty-numbers-highlight-urgent-need-halt-fighting-and-re-focus-peace-negotiations">increased</a>, and the spirit of the agreement has been marred by tensions between the Taliban and Afghan government, which was not a party to the deal.</p><p>Trump has expressed a desire to end the US's wars throughout the course of his presidency. In 2019, he abruptly ordered the withdrawal of US forces from northern Syria, much to the surprise and chagrin of officials and allies who advocated for a continued US presence in the region to ensure ISIS didn't regroup again.</p><p>Speaking to media at the Rose Garden on Tuesday, Trump addressed concerns about another withdrawal.</p><p>"We're there 19 years ... yeah, I think that's enough," Trump said of the US's war in Afghanistan. "We can always go back if we want to."</p><p>Trump added that he did not have a specific date in mind for a potential US withdrawal, and claimed he wanted it "over a period of time but as soon as reasonable."</p><p>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, an ardent supporter of the Trump administration, cautioned that an abrupt withdrawal would be "horrendous for our national security interests, especially concerning threats to the homeland."</p><p>"I cannot envision any agreement that does not allow for a residual counter-terrorism force combined with a robust intelligence gathering capability sufficient to protect our vital national security interests in the region as well as protecting the American homeland," Graham said in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-withdrawal-temptation-11590421056">Wall Street Journal</a> opinion column.</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-afghanistan-pullout-before-election-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

US military reportedly making plans for Trump that include a complete Afghanistan withdrawal before the next election

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11012325">US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCord</a></span></p><p class="caption">Just a sampling of the US's naval power.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-guam-threat-missile-strike-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As tensions reach a fever pitch between the US and North Korea</a>, with Pyongyang <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-seriously-considering-plan-missile-strike-on-us-military-in-guam-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announcing its intentions to fire missiles</a> towards the US territory of Guam, the US Navy has continued to patrol and span the entire Pacific ocean with power and reach unparalleled on earth.</p><p>Near Japan, within a short steam of Guam and the Korean Peninsula, sits the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike and the guided-missile destroyers and cruisers in its strike group.</p><p>The Reagan's strike group is the only forward-based aircraft carrier in the US's arsenal and trains specifically for Asia-Pacific-specific missions. One of the destroyers in the group recently conducted <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/south-china-sea-us-navy-didnt-back-down-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">freedom of navigation operation against excessive Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy photo by Andy Wolfe</span></p><p class="caption">Four F-35B Lightning II aircraft perform a flyover above the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during the Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept Demonstration.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Further south, in the Singapore Strait, the USS America, one of a new class of small deck aircraft carriers packed with V-22 Ospreys, and Harrier jump jets, and Marines ready with landing crafts to take any beach, is making its way to the Middle East, <a href="https://news.usni.org/2017/08/07/fleet-and-marine-tracker-08-07-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the US Naval Institute</a>. </p><p>Near Eastern Australia, the the Naval Institute notes that the USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious readiness group (like a carrier strike group but for the smaller carriers) has the same aircraft setup but increased well decks and landing craft to launch Marines to take any beach in the world.</p><p>Each of these carrier groups sails with guided-missile destroyers that pack some of the world's best missile defenses. In the event that North Korea follows through with a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-guam-threat-missile-strike-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plan to fire missiles near Guam</a>, any one of these groups of ships has a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-us-and-japan-could-shoot-down-north-korean-missiles-headed-for-guam-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">good shot at knocking these missiles down</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jennifer Swader.</span></p><p class="caption">At sea aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Jan. 27, 2003 - The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) deployed with the seven-ship Amphibious Task Force West (ATF-W) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from her homeport of San Diego, Calif.</p></div><p></p></div></div>But even with its scattered assets across the Pacific, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-war-north-korea-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US is not on war footing towards North Korea</a>. This simply represents a day in the life of the US Navy's massive fleet. </p><p>Should President Donald Trump give the word, dozens more ships, hundreds more aircraft, and innumerable guided missiles and deck guns could crowd the Korean Peninsula flanked by the US's powerful Asian allies.</p><p>For more information on the US Navy's fleet and current operations, visit the <a href="https://news.usni.org/2017/08/07/fleet-and-marine-tracker-08-07-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US Naval Institute's Fleet and Marine Tracker</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-heel-spurs-donald-trump-vietnam-deferments-jacqueline-sutera-2017-8">A podiatrist explains heel spurs - the medical condition Trump said earned him a medical deferment from Vietnam</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The US has heavy naval power in the Pacific if things break loose with North Korea

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Pulling US troops out of Afghanistan would be as 'humiliating' as Vietnam War defeat, top Republican says

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US military reportedly making plans for Trump that include a complete Afghanistan withdrawal before the next election

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The US has heavy naval power in the Pacific if things break loose with North Korea

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