President Trump has announced plans to escalate the U.S. war in Afghanistan—already the longest war in U.S. history. While Trump offered few specifics during his prime-time address Monday night, he has reportedly already signed off on a plan to send about 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The U.S. is already intensifying its air war in Afghanistan. During the month of June, the U.S. carried out 389 airstrikes in Afghanistan, the highest monthly total in five years.
Trump’s speech follows an intense debate within the White House. Trump’s top generals had been pressing Trump to deploy thousands more U.S. troops, while former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and other members of the administration had been pushing to privatize the U.S. war and send in thousands of military contractors. We’ll have more on Trump’s announcement and the U.S. war in Afghanistan after headlines.