The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Sunday that withdrawing up to half the 14,000 American troops serving there would reduce the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate a peace deal after more than 17 years of war.
Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal said the U.S. has “basically traded away the biggest leverage point we have.” McChrystal’s comments were in response to reports that President Donald Trump had ordered the Pentagon to develop plans to withdraw thousands of American troops by next summer. Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis mentioned the order in his resignation letter. Mattis’ last day in the administration is Monday.
The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in 2014, but American and allied troops remain, conducting strikes on the Islamic State group and the Taliban and working to train and build the Afghan military.
“If you tell the Taliban that we are absolutely leaving on date certain, cutting down, weakening ourselves, their incentives to try to cut a deal drop dramatically,” McChrystal said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“General” McChrystal got fired like a dog by Obama. Last assignment a total bust. Known for big, dumb mouth. Hillary lover! https://t.co/RzOkeHl3KV
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019
McChrystal also said he’s worried that the Afghan people will lose confidence in the U.S. as an ally that can be counted on.
“I think we probably rocked them,” said McChrystal, who commanded U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan for about a year.
He also was critical of President Donald Trump personally, saying he doesn’t believe Trump tells the truth. The comment came when asked what he would say if he were asked to join the Trump administration.
“I think it’s important for me to work for people who I think are basically honest, who tell the truth as best they know it,” he said.
When asked if Trump is immoral, McChrystal responded: “I think he is.”
It’s not the first time he’s criticized a sitting president. President Barack Obama accepted McChrystal’s resignation in June 2010 after he made scathing remarks in a magazine article about administration officials, including about Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
(AP)
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8 Responses
Didn’t Trump criticize the last President for announcing when he’d be withdrawing troops?
For someone who claims to have the highest regard for the military and specifically for generals, he obviously means only if they tow the line. He doesn’t care about their experience and integrity. Spits again on the military.
The degenerate lying adulterer also berated Obama for announcing pullouts, what a hypocritical incompetent moron. Did he get these marching orders from Limbaugh, Coulter and Hannity as well??
Good for Trump. Trump is very smart man who realizes that to survive in this brutal corrupt and backstabbing environment to you need to hit back to personal attacks in the media. And retired General has proven the coward he is: He did not say anything negative against Obama who destroyed his career and betrayed this country with Iran deal because he was afraid of being libeled as racist, but is brave enough to attack the President who is white.
WOW!
McChrystal says his opinion about the troop withdrawal and Trump goes ballistic.
Mitt Romney writes an op-ed in the Washington Post and Trump goes ballistic….
and we have to live with this meshuggener as POTUS for another two years….what a ‘bruch’…..
Trump lacks basic human decency. His juvenile response only proves the point that Gen Mcchrystal, Mitt Romney, Harry Reid and many others are making namely that Trump is immoral or amoral.
Trump is being attacked from all sides but he’s the bad one here for trying to defend himself? I think he’d be stupid if he kept quiet about all these attacks on him.
McChrystal must not be too bright if he’s saying that we can’t get a deal with the Taliban because there’s a date for withdrawal?! Is he insane?! The US is fighting for years with the Taliban, all of a sudden they’d want to cut a deal?! This would never happen, he must be incredibly dumb to think and say that. It’s against the Taliban ideology to cut a deal with the US!
Trump was immoral, I’m not sure what he’s at this point, but he’s not behaving immoral in office ( so it appears…) but Clinton was immoral in office and we never heard anyone, besides for some conservative commentators, kvetch about that.
The lying , hysterical media suddenly love those they hated… Add this loser’s name to Comey, Romney, Mattis, Sessions, McCain, Ryan….
Jealous of Trump’s success…
6 more years, ye miserable skunks.. MAGA
Seems from this article that Obama is the one who fired this general, yet some bloggers here (as if to imply that what Obama did is Trump’s fault) come up with Trump allegedly going ballistic for simply pointing that fact out.