Monday, October 22, 2018

Retired general: If anyone can bring Afghanistan war to an end, it's Trump

A retired Army general said in an interview Thursday that if anyone can bring the 17-year-long Afghanistan war to an end, it's President Trump.

"Based on his success in dealing with some fairly hard characters — [North Korean leader] Kim Jong [Un], China, some others — if anybody can do it, President Trump can," retired Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell told Hill.TV's Buck Sexton on "Rising."

Harrell, a former Delta Force commander in Afghanistan who retired in 2008 after nearly 35 years in service, also praised Gen. Scott Miller, the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. 

"I think President Trump has the right man on the ground in Scott Miller," Harrell said.

Asked his views on how to bring the conflict in Afghanistan to an end, Harrell emphasized the need "to develop a solid line of communication down through General Miller and the envoy, but they need to be able to talk to the Afghan people."

"And try to win them over to where they are not so much focused on doing things the way their great-great-great grandfather did things, and bring them into the modern world a little bit. I don't know that that's easy, and I'm not sure it's doable," he added.

The U.S. currently has around 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of its training and advisory efforts as well as various counterterrorism operations.

The U.S.-led coalition has tried to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table through an increase in troops and airstrikes. 

The war hit the 17-year mark on Oct. 7. -  thehill

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