RASC News Agency: Donald Trump, the incoming President of the United States, has announced that he intends to rebuild parts of the U.S. military that were severely damaged in Afghanistan. In his first major rally following his victory in the presidential election, Trump emphasized that a large portion of the rebuilt U.S. military had been sent to Afghanistan, where it has now been left in a state of significant disrepair. During his speech, Trump also referred to the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as a “horrifying spectacle,” claiming that American equipment worth billions of dollars had been abandoned in the country.
The rally, held on Sunday, December 23, in Phoenix, Arizona, saw Trump stating: “I rebuilt our military to a level it had never been at before, but unfortunately, a large part of it was sent to Afghanistan. Can you believe that? What a disastrous situation. But we will rebuild those sectors of our military that were severely damaged. Moreover, we lost a great deal of it. You know, the last time I came, we didn’t even have ammunition. Can you believe that?” In his speech, the president-elect also addressed conflicts that should never have occurred. Alongside Russia, Ukraine, and Israel, he mentioned Afghanistan, referring to the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021 as a “horrifying spectacle.”
Trump added, “We should never have witnessed the horrific events in Afghanistan. It was dreadful, leaving behind billions of dollars’ worth of equipment and losing 13 soldiers. No one talks about them, but I will, because I care about them, and now they’re all watching. Forty-eight soldiers were horribly wounded.” While Trump has yet to present specific plans regarding Afghanistan or how to engage with the Taliban, he has declared the Doha Agreement signed by his previous administration null and void. Shah Mahmud Miakhil, the former Deputy Minister of Defense of Afghanistan, noted, “The aid that was either secretly or openly provided to the Taliban may face sanctions. The second issue is that the U.S. has no good relations with the Taliban; however, the changes that may occur depend on regional and global developments.”
Previously, Trump stated that, on the day of his inauguration as President of the United States, the resignations of all military officials involved in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan should be on his desk. With less than a month remaining until Trump’s inauguration, it remains to be seen how he will approach Afghanistan and the Taliban.
