WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US must retain its military presence in Afghanistan in order to contain the conflict, according to US Senator Tim Kaine.
"We need to be invested in Afghanistan so that what happens in Afghanistan stays in Afghanistan. [So that] there is no spillover effect into nuclear-armed Pakistan or other nations in the region that can come back and harm us," Kaine told MSNBC. "What we need to make sure is that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for things that can come back and hurt us."
On July 14, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said the Pentagon was close to completing its policy review for a new strategy in Afghanistan.
US Senator Lindsey Graham said on August 3 the United States could turn the tide of the war in Afghanistan with by deploying 3,000-4,000 additional troops and boosting air capacity.
On August 19, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump was considering his options in Afghanistan after an extensive meeting with his national security team.
The United States and its allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001, just after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, but the mission in Afghanistan ended in 2014. On January 1, 2015, NATO announced its new mission in the country, called Resolute Support, to train and assist the Afghan security forces.
