Pentagon to decide troop levels in Afghanistan

The White House has provided the Pentagon with the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, where commanders have said U.S.-backed government troops are stuck in a stalemate with the Taliban.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed Wednesday he had been given the new authority to set troop levels, though he said a final decision on numbers has not been reached yet. That decision would be part of a broader policy review for Afghanistan and the region.

The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, has said a few thousand would be required to turn the tide on militants.

“We are not winning in Afghanistan right now,” Mattis told Congress this week.

Afghanistan's government has been struggling to contain an insurgency fueled by the Taliban and the Islamic State.

Some of the additional troops would come from NATO countries. There are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan now in addition to several thousand troops from allied countries.

Providing the Pentagon with authority to make the decision about troop levels is in keeping with Trump’s overall policy of giving field commanders more authority to make decisions. The Obama administration carefully scrutinized troop levels in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Pentagon may not make a decision on how many additional troops to send to Afghanistan for several weeks as they finalize an overall campaign plan.

The Pentagon has said the additional troops will not signal a change in strategy. Afghan forces will continue to do the brunt of the fighting. But additional forces will allow U.S. advisers to work alongside a greater number of Afghan combat units, the Pentagon has said.

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