Donald Trump Prepares To Announce Afghanistan Strategy | MTP Daily

COULD INCLUDE A DEPLOYMENT OF AS MANY AS THOUSANDS OF MORE TROOPS
TO THE COUNTRY. JOINING ME NOW IS RETIRED
FOUR-STAR U.S. ARMY GENERAL AND FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLOWED
COMMANDER WESLEY CLARK. GENERAL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US. >> THANK YOU.
>> OBVIOUSLY A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST 16 YEARS.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THE CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IS THE TALIBAN IS ACTUALLY
GROWING IN STRENGTH DESPITE OUR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON
TRAINING THE AFGHAN ARMY. THE AFGHAN ARMY IS TAKING LOTS
OF CASUALTIES, SOMETIMES AS MANY AS 20 PER DAY ON AVERAGE.
SO WE'RE CHEWING UP THE AFGHAN ARMY FORCES FASTER THAN WE CAN
BUILD EXPERIENCE AND COMBAT CAPABILITY.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE PAKISTAN IS STILL SUPPORTING THE INSURGERY I
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WANT A STABLE WESTERN ORIENTED AFGHAN
GOVERNMENT. >> SO HOW DEAL WITH PAKISTAN?
>> WELL, YOU'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH PAKISTAN.
AND THIS IS GOING TO BE THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAYS. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH PAKISTAN,
BECAUSE THEY ARE A NUCLEAR POWER.
THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST A TRADITIONAL U.S. ALLY AS WELL AS
AN ALLY OF CHINA. WE USED TO DO TROOP EXERCISES
WITH PAKISTAN BACK IN THE 1970s AND 80s.
SO WE USED TOB PAKISTAN REALLY WELL AND WE USED PAKISTAN TO
BUILD UP THE MUJAHIDEEN TO FIGHT THE SOEF YETS WHEN THEY WERE IN
PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN HAS KEPT ITS LONG
TENTACLES OUT TO AFGHANISTAN. DO YOU CUT OFF AID, THREATEN IT?
IT'S A NATION OF ALMOST 200 MILLION PEOPLE.
IT'S A BIG, POWERFUL NATION WITH LOTS OF SUPPORT FROM OUR ALLIES
LIKE SAUDI ARABIA AND OUR FRIENDS IN THE GULF.
AND SO WE DO WORRY ABOUT HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANEUVER PAKISTAN
OUT OF SUPPORT FOR THE REBLS OR THE TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN.
AND SO FAR NO ADMINISTRATION HAS FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THIS.
>> SO IS THE PRESIDENT RIGHT WHEN HE SAYS WE'RE LOSING THE
WAR IN AFGHANISTAN? AND IF HE IS RIGHT, WHAT DOES
WINNING LOOK LIKE? >> WELL, I THINK WE'RE BASICALLY
IN THERE FOR INTELLIGENCE PURPOSES TO PREVENT THE
EMERGENCE OF UNGOVERNED SPACESS IN WHICH A NEW TERRORIST ENTITY
LIKE AN ISIS COULD TAKE FORM AND THEN MUSTER RESOURCES TO
THREATEN U.S. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD.
SO WE'RE IN THERE FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES RIGHT NOW.
BUT THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING IS NOT ABLE TO
MAINTAIN CONTROL OF ALL THE PROVINCE AND DISTRICTS IN THE
COUNTRY. AND THAT'S WHY PEOPLE SAY WE'RE
LOSING THOSE PRIVILEGE INSZ OR THOSE DISTRICTS ARE ONE BY ONE
SUCK CUMMING TO TALIBAN ATTACK AS THE AFGHAN AND SECURITY
FORCES TUMBLE AWAY. THERE'S LOADS OF CORRUPTION
UNDERNEATH THAT AND THERE'S REALLY QUESTIONS AS TO WHETHER
YOU COULD EVER HAVE A UNIFIED GOVERNMENT THROUGHOUT ALL OF
AFGHANISTAN, HONESTLY BECAUSE IT'S TRIBAL AND IT'S NEVER HAD
PAY STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. THAT'S OUR MODEL AND WHAT WE'VE
PROPOSED. IF YOU'RE GOING TO WIN IN
AFGHANISTAN WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KILL
EVERYBODY WHO IS RESISTING YOU. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO FADE INTO
THE WOODWORK. THEY'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO
BEING LOCAL PEOPLE IN AFGHANISTAN.
SOME OF THEM MAY FLEE TO PAKISTAN, BUT MOST OF THEM WILL
GO TO DPROUND SO TO SPEAK. AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE IS
AN ABSENCE OF RESIRESISTANCE, B THAT MEANS IT CAN ONLY COME
ABOUT WHEN PAKISTAN PRIMARILY BUT ALSO IRAN AND THE RUSSIANS
AND MAYBE THE CHINESE EVEN STOP FEEDING RESOURCES AND ADVICE AND
TRAINING AND WEAPONRY INTO THE STRUGGLE.
>> GENERAL, I WANT TO GET TWO MORE QUESTIONS IN, SO HOPEFULLY
WE CAN DO THIS QUICKLY. 4,000 MORE TROOPS.
WE'VE GOT 8,400 THERE. IF THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES THAT
HE WANTS TO SEND 4,000 MORE, DOES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
>> YEAH, IT MAKES A MARGINAL DIFFERENCE, SURE.
IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN -- >> CAN YOU WIN THE WAR WITH
THAT? >> NO, NO, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO
WIN THE WAR MILITARILY. YOU'RE GOING TO WIN IT DIMT
MATICALLY. >> SECONDLY, IS THERE ANYTHING
TO THIS IDEA THAT SOME ARE THROWING OUT THERE THAT THERE
NEEDS TO BE SOME NEGOTIATION WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE
TALIBAN, THE LESS RADICAL MEMBERS OF THE TALIBAN?
>> I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.
I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO FIGHT, FIGHT, TALK, TALK ON SOMETHING
LIKE THIS. AND SO THE QUICKER WE GET
STARTED TALKING, LEARNING THEIR ISSUES, KNOWING WHO THEY ARE,
TRYING TO SPLIT THEM UP AND MAYBE EVEN COMING UP WITH A
SOLUTION THAT'S A SZ SOOEZ FIRE

Donald Trump Prepares To Announce Afghanistan Strategy | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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