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Defense secretary sent classified memo to White House about Afghanistan before Trump fired him
Source: Washington Post
Defense secretary sent classified memo to White House about Afghanistan before Trump fired him
By Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan, Karen DeYoung and Susannah George
11/13/2020, 10:35:00 p.m.
In the run-up to the election, President Trump’s tweet saying that all U.S. troops in Afghanistan should be “home by Christmas!” raised alarm among senior U.S. officials who had been working on a more gradual withdrawal.
The existing plan, tied to precarious negotiations with the Taliban insurgent group to sign a peace deal with the Afghan government, had not yielded the progress that American officials wanted. While the Pentagon was on its way to reducing the number of troops to fewer than 5,000 this month, negotiations appeared to stall and the Taliban continued to launch attacks across the country.
After consulting with senior military officers, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sent a classified memo to the White House this month expressing concerns about additional cuts, according to two senior U.S. officials familiar with the discussion. Conditions on the ground were not yet right, Esper wrote, citing the ongoing violence, possible dangers to the remaining troops in the event of a rapid pullout, potential damage to alliances and apprehension about undercutting the negotiations.
Days after Trump lost his reelection bid, he fired Esper. Trump, refusing to concede the election, has since allowed a purge of other senior political appointees serving under Esper, with several hardened loyalists to the president taking their place.
This account of the deliberations over Afghanistan in the waning days of the Trump administration is based on interviews with 21 current and former U.S. and Afghan officials, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Trump’s relationship with Esper soured months ago over several issues, but some in the president’s orbit said Trump’s frustration with what he sees as an entrenched military resistant to his goals played a role. Others denied that Esper’s position on Afghanistan had anything to do with it.
-snip-
By Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan, Karen DeYoung and Susannah George
11/13/2020, 10:35:00 p.m.
In the run-up to the election, President Trump’s tweet saying that all U.S. troops in Afghanistan should be “home by Christmas!” raised alarm among senior U.S. officials who had been working on a more gradual withdrawal.
The existing plan, tied to precarious negotiations with the Taliban insurgent group to sign a peace deal with the Afghan government, had not yielded the progress that American officials wanted. While the Pentagon was on its way to reducing the number of troops to fewer than 5,000 this month, negotiations appeared to stall and the Taliban continued to launch attacks across the country.
After consulting with senior military officers, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sent a classified memo to the White House this month expressing concerns about additional cuts, according to two senior U.S. officials familiar with the discussion. Conditions on the ground were not yet right, Esper wrote, citing the ongoing violence, possible dangers to the remaining troops in the event of a rapid pullout, potential damage to alliances and apprehension about undercutting the negotiations.
Days after Trump lost his reelection bid, he fired Esper. Trump, refusing to concede the election, has since allowed a purge of other senior political appointees serving under Esper, with several hardened loyalists to the president taking their place.
This account of the deliberations over Afghanistan in the waning days of the Trump administration is based on interviews with 21 current and former U.S. and Afghan officials, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Trump’s relationship with Esper soured months ago over several issues, but some in the president’s orbit said Trump’s frustration with what he sees as an entrenched military resistant to his goals played a role. Others denied that Esper’s position on Afghanistan had anything to do with it.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-pentagon-afghan-war/2020/11/13/5ac54c7e-25cb-11eb-8599-406466ad1b8e_story.html