US Troops in Afghanistan

Article written by Ananya Nayar

In 2001, the US sent military aid to Afghanistan to help them in the conflict with the Taliban. In 2018, the Taliban regrouped and became stronger than before. Now, the US Department of Defence has confirmed that all American Troops will be sent back to the US from Afghanistan in January 2021. Senior Republicans and Trump had called for the troops to withdraw and return a few months ago.

Yet some senior members of the Republican Party voiced concerns saying that the retreat would be a ‘mistake’ and that it was ‘not grounded in reality and will make the world a more dangerous place.’ The quick removal of defence and troops in Afghanistan is said to be sure to weaken Afghan against the Taliban and that Afghanistan will once again become a good platform for terrorists to organise international attacks.

In 2008, the US had almost 400,000 in Afghanistan. After Trump was elected President, the number went down to less than 200,000, in 2021 there will no longer be US troops fighting in Afghanistan. This data brought lots of criticism to Donald Trump, saying that he was removing all chances of peace in the country.