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"The strategic decisions have not been made," Mattis said.

During comments at the Pentagon press area, Mattis insisted "all options" remained on the table for how to approach Afghanistan, and said those options included a full withdrawal as well as a proposal for the use of more contractors to manage the US effort there.

When asked if President Donald Trump had confidence in Gen. John Nicholson as the top US commander in Afghanistan, Mattis replied, "ask the President," and voiced his own support for the general.

"He is our commander in the field," Mattis said. "He has the confidence of NATO. He has the confidence of Afghanistan. He has the confidence of the United States, and the President again is looking at all aspects of our effort over there as he must in his responsibilities as the commander-in-chief."

Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster have been leading a review of US policy in Afghanistan.

Nearly 16 years after the US led a coalition there to topple the Taliban from power, US-led forces and the new Afghanistan government have struggled to stabilize the country and push back against pressure from militants like the Taliban.

As the administration has delayed its decision, outside voices have sought to advocate their own strategies for the war-torn nation.

He said the US should appoint a viceroy, a term that recalls colonialism, to manage the nation and deploy military contractors with Afghanistan military brigades over the long term.

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Mattis: Administration 'very, very close' to Afghanistan decision - CNN

The administration is split over what stance to adopt on the longest-running war in US history.

Possible plans include sending thousands more troops into the nearly 16-year conflict, or taking the opposite tack and pulling out, leaving private military contractors to help the Afghans oversee the fragile security situation.

"The president along with the vice president will meet with the national security team on Friday at Camp David to discuss the South Asia strategy," the White House said.

Trump's generals have called the Afghan conflict a "stalemate" and even after years of intensive help from the US and other NATO nations, Afghanistan's security forces are still struggling to hold back an emboldened Taliban.

In an early move to address the situation, Trump gave his Pentagon chief, former general Jim Mattis, broad powers to set troop numbers.

But several months later, the level remains stuck at about 8,400 US and about 5,000 NATO troops, mainly serving in a training and advisory capacity.

Mattis wants to wait until the White House has come up with a coherent strategy for not just Afghanistan but the broader region, notably Pakistan and how it deals with terror groups, before he commits to adjustments.

But reports have suggested that other Trump advisers, including his influential strategy chief Steve Bannon, favor cutting American losses by pulling out or sending private military contractors to replace troops. DM

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Trump at Camp David on Friday for Afghanistan talks - Daily Maverick

defense.govThe Taliban released an open letter urging President Trump to end the war in Afghanistan at the same time Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov suggested that if the U.S. is "unable to do anything serious" in Afghanistan, it should leave.

Oh, boy.

Neither Kabulov nor the un-identified Taliban author are wrong in principle16 years of war in Afghanistan has produced almost nothing. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to eliminate one of the few safe havens for terrorists in the world. Safe havens have proliferated since then.

But their statements could have the opposite effect, toughening the resolve of forces within the Trump administration who want to extend the Afghan war.

"Despite the fact that the former administration officials created a large coalition to attack our country, your 16 year military presence in Afghanistan has resulted in Afghanistan becoming the most unstable country security wise, the most corrupt administrative wise and the poorest country economically," the Taliban letter reads.

Most recently, the terror group ISIS entered Afghanistana group that did not exist in 2001 and has benefited from U.S.-induced instability in Iraq to metastasize into what it is today. Trump told reporters last month that ISIS was "falling fast" in Afghanistanhe has been relatively skeptical of continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan despite surrounding himself largely with military advisors committed to continuing the conflict.

Kabulov insisted Afghanistan has become a "global incubator of international terrorism." It's an odd claim for a country embroiled in Syria, a veritable melting pot of terror groups, and reportedly opposed to the U.S. leaving the Afghanistan war to private contractors.

The U.S. should leave Afghanistan. As I noted last week, neither privatizing nor prosecuting the war in some other way better articulates precisely why the U.S. is in Afghanistan in the first place. This has been missing almost from the beginning. The core of Al-Qaeda was disposed of relatively quickly and the mastermind of 9/11 (the raison d'etre for the Afghanistan war) was killed in 2011 in Pakistan.

Any honest effort to define U.S. security goals in Afghanistan would reveal none worth continuing the war. If Afghan government agencies or mineral companies or anyone else require security, they are free to contract with private companies.

The Taliban and Russian comments raise the question of whether they would actually prefer to see the U.S. continue to waste blood and treasure in Afghanistan. The U.S. presence there is a powerful recruitment tool for the Taliban while weakening the U.S. position as a global power.

Vladimir Putin is not so politically tone-deaf to think his envoy's opinion that the U.S. has lost in Afghanistan will benefit opponents of the war in the Trump administration. Trump may oppose the war, but he's been very sensitive about being seen as a Russian puppet. This sensitivity has contributed to a string of stupid mistakes, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, which led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as a special counsel to investigate the Trump campaign's alleged Russia connections.

It's not hard to imagine Trump doubling down in Afghanistan to demonstrate he isn't following Russia's lead. And that would be a shame.

Nearly 40 years ago, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Publicly, President Carter condemned the invasion and called on the Soviet Union to withdraw. Privately, Carter and his advisors were excited about the prospect of a protracted Soviet war in Afghanistan weakening the USSR. Afghanistan, after all, was the graveyard of empires.

Afghanistan may not be a "Soviet Vietnam" on its own, Zbigniew Brzerzinski, Carter's national security advisor, wrote in a memo, but U.S. support for rebel groups could get it there. Those rebel groups, the mujahedeen, eventually became the Taliban as well as parts of Al-Qaeda.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the two American troops most recently killed in Afghanistan.

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Taliban, Russia Want US to Withdraw From Afghanistan - Reason (blog)

Indian Ambassador Manpreet Vohra says some countries in the region are sabotaging attempts at peace.

Hinting indirectly at Pakistan, the Indian ambassador in Kabul, Manpreet Vohra, said some countries in the region have damaged all peace efforts and are following destructive policies. Sadly, in our immediate neighborhood, there are some who deliberately sabotage all attempts for peace and greater regional cooperation and connectivity, he said. India hopes that better sense will prevail on them one day and their self-destructive policies will change. Marking the 70th Independence Day of India at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, the ambassador said New Delhi will stand beside Afghans in the fight against terrorism. We champion Afghanistans cause and stand with it shoulder to shoulder as it faces serious challenges and strives to build a peaceful, secure and prosperous nation, he stated. At the same event, Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish said a number of countries in the region were trying to change their security centric policies to an economic centric policy and to regional cooperation. Though Afghanistan is living in an imposed war and is on the frontline of the fight against insurgency and terrorism, and our civilians and forces are being sacrificed in barbaric terrorist attacks every day ... the policy of the Afghan government is based on an economic-centric policy not security-centric, he said.

Regional countries particularly our neighbors should pay attention to this important matter that our politics and policy should not be ordered as security-centric. India has invested $2.5 billion USD in infrastructure in Afghanistan and has pledged an additional one billion dollars in aid.

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Terrorist Activities In Afghanistan A Threat To India: Envoy - TOLOnews

The CEO of the National Unity Government (NUG) Abdullah Abdullah visited Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on Tuesday while on an official trip and met with Andrei Vladimirovich Kobyakov, the Belarusian Prime Minister.

Abdullah will hold talks with Kobyakov and it is expected that a package of international agreements will be signed, including one on industrial cooperation and the simplification of visa formalities.

Abdullah also met with Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, and discussed bilateral economic and trade opportunities.

He visited Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum in Minsk on Wednesday and laid a wreath at the Monument of Victory.

He also visited the Minsk car, construction and electricity companies with the Afghan delegation where officials from the motor manufacturer promised to cooperate with Afghanistan.

In the meantime, the CEO's office in a statement said that Officials of Belarus and Afghanistan will sign agreements over economic, business, legislation and justice.

The commodity exchange value between Belarus and Afghanistan totaled more than $25 million USD in 2016, which is 60 percent more than in 2015, according to Belarusian media reports.

We are to sign two documents on activation of industrial cooperation and simplification of visa regime. In my opinion it will contribute to business communication,Jawed Faisal, a spokesman for Abdullah, told TOLOnews.

This is the first official visit to Belarus in the history of bilateral relations between Minsk and Kabul.

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Belarus, Afghanistan Forge New Strategy for Cooperation - TOLOnews