Trump's decision to reduce troops in Afghanistan in line with the USA's mountain-and-dalbanepolitik

the Night of Friday, american time, u.s. media reported that Donald Trump called on the state to the Pentagon to present a plan on how the united states can reduce its military presence in Afghanistan.

officially ruled on the issue. The data come from anonymous militärkällor, who says that it is about a halving of the current strength, from the 14,000 soldiers to about 7,000.

the united states has a soon to be young the recent history of military involvement in Afghanistan, marked by abrupt changes and drastic decisions. A kind of mountain - and dalbanepolitik where the military presence, at times, risen, and then drastically fall. In this respect, the Trumps and behaviour vis-à-vis Afghanistan, like that of his predecessor.

After the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001 the invasion of Afghanistan by a amerikanskledd strength. The aim was to force away the sunniextremistiska the taliban from power. The taliban had taken over in 1996 after the civil war that occurred in the wake of the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan in 1989. The taliban regime was adopted to give protection to al-Qaidaledaren Osama bin Laden, guilty of the september 11 attacks.

Afghanistan led to new violence and it was not better by then-president George W Bush a few years later decided to direct the war effort against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Bush's successor, Barack Obama went to the election on ending the war in Iraq and instead put the focus on Afghanistan. During his first term of office as president rose Obama drastically the number of troops in Afghanistan from about 30,000 to over 100,000 in 2011.

the Purpose of the truppförstärkningen was to suppress the taliban, train the afghan army and stabilise the government in Kabul. Then gradually be able to reduce the presence and ”finish the job” just in time for the end of Obama's second term in office in the beginning of 2016.

When Obama left the presidency, there was an american strength of about 12,000 in Afghanistan, but the job was far from finished. The nra was corrupt and unjustified, the taliban movement is on the rise and IS-terrorists had begun to pop up. Much of the gigantic american civilian aid was lost in corruption.

in the beginning of 2017, he said, will put ”America first”. But the downward spiral in Afghanistan got him anyway, that last year reluctantly decide on a small increase of truppnärvaron, to the current 14.000.

at the same time changing Trump the military's ”rules of engagement” (roughly: rules for battle). Strategic decisions on, for example, air attacks shifted to the local commander. The change has received criticism because it is considered to have increased the risk that civilian gets in the way of bombflyg.

the News of the coming cutbacks were received with mixed feelings in the united states. Talibanena is on the offensive, and check all major parts of Afghanistan.

to reach a political solution. As late as Wednesday ended exploratory peace talks in Abu Dhabi with the united states, Pakistan and saudi Arabia discussed with taliban representatives. Analysts in the US fear now that the american influence in the talks will be reduced if they have less military resources in the back, and to this accordingly the benefit of the taliban.

At the side of the u.s. army is a Natoledd strength in Afghanistan with the ”educational and advisory” functions. Sweden contributes with about fifty soldiers in the operation, which in total covers about 16,000 individuals from more than forty countries.