Aug 30 Pentagon admits U.S. has more troops in Afghanistan than previously reported By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Military officials have long quietly acknowledged there were far more forces in the country than the cap allowed, but commanders shuffled troops in and out, labeled many "temporary," and used other personnel accounting tactics to artificially keep the public count… Continue reading
Aug 25 Watch 12:22 Shields and Brooks on Trump’s contrasting speeches, GOP ruptured relations By PBS News Hour Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s political news, including President Trump’s wildly different approaches to his address on Afghanistan strategy and his remarks in Phoenix, his attacks on… Continue watching
Aug 25 Watch 3:36 News Wrap: Monsoon death toll rises above 1,200 By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Friday, the death toll from monsoon flooding across South Asia surged again to more than 1,200. Entire communities across India, Bangladesh and Nepal are devastated with many cut off from clean food and water. Also, in… Continue watching
Aug 23 Column: Trump’s plan for Afghanistan isn’t fresh, and here’s why By Max Boot, Council on Foreign Relations President Trump’s much-anticipated Afghan policy rightly avoids troop withdrawal timelines but offers little prospect for progress against the durable Taliban, says analyst Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations. Continue reading
Aug 23 WATCH: State Department fields questions on Afghanistan, North Korea By Joshua Barajas State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert will hold a news briefing at 2 p.m. ET. Watch her remarks live here. Continue reading
Aug 22 Watch 3:55 How the world is reacting to Trump’s speech on Afghanistan By PBS News Hour, Nick Schifrin U.S. military and diplomatic leaders are moving ahead on the Afghanistan strategy President Trump outlined Monday during an address to the nation. Mr. Trump’s new policy hinges on a regional approach and includes a deployment of more U.S. troops without… Continue watching
Aug 22 Watch 8:09 How can U.S. get Pakistan’s cooperation on Afghanistan? By PBS News Hour Laying out several new approaches to the conflict in Afghanistan, President Trump singled out Pakistan's support for the Taliban as particularly problematic. What was new in the president’s speech and what are the real-world effects of his strategy? Former State… Continue watching
Aug 22 Trump’s new plan will send 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan, officials say By Matthew Pennington, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Although the Pentagon's plans are based on 3,900 additional troops, the exact number will vary as conditions change, senior U.S. officials said. Continue reading
Aug 22 WATCH: Tillerson commends North Korea restraint, but says ‘we need to see more’ By Associated Press It was rare positive expression from the U.S. toward the authoritarian government in Pyongyang and comes amid a slight easing in recent tensions between the adversaries that had flared after President Donald Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with… Continue reading
Aug 22 Trump’s Afghanistan strategy makes new demands on India By Matthew Pennington, Associated Press Laying out his new Afghanistan war strategy, President Donald Trump reissued old demands on neighboring Pakistan to eliminate militant sanctuaries. Less expected: an entirely new warning to close U.S. partner India to provide more economic aid. Continue reading