WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated by the situation in Afghanistan and has recently floated a change in command.
NBC News reports that Trump fumed during a meeting last month over the country’s lack of progress. The network says he also proposed firing Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
2 Pentagon officials close to Sec. Mattis said he returned from the White House that morning visibly upset. https://t.co/RSBCVovLSr
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) August 2, 2017
The U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan for nearly 16 years. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said as recently as June that “we are not winning.” Trump has yet to settle on a new strategy.
National Security Council Michael Anton says in a statement in response to the NBC story that “the president’s team continues to develop options for him that address threats and opportunities to America arising from this vital region.”