General Joseph Dunford

Trump Gets Update From Aides on Afghan Peace Plan With Troop Pullout Possible

Trump, who has repeatedly questioned the billions of dollars spent in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has made no secret of his desire for a US pullout from Afghanistan after 19 years of war.

Bridgewater, New Jersey/Washington: President Donald Trump was briefed on Friday by top national security advisers on the status of negotiations with the Taliban on a US troop pullout from Afghanistan and the potential for a political settlement between the warring sides.

There was no indication that any conclusions were reached at the session, which took place in a secure conference room at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

“Just completed a very good meeting on Afghanistan. Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal – if possible!” Trump said in a tweet after the session.

Trump, who has repeatedly questioned the billions of dollars spent in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has made no secret of his desire for a US pullout from Afghanistan after 19 years of war triggered by the September 11, 2001 attacks.

But there are deep concerns among national security aides about negotiations led by US special representative to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who updated Trump and others on the status of the talks.

A pullout has raised fears within the US military and among some lawmakers that Afghanistan could plunge into a new civil war that could see a return of Taliban rule and give al Qaeda and other militants a sanctuary in which to expand and plot new attacks on USA and allied targets.

Just completed a very good meeting on Afghanistan. Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal – if possible!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019

A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said significant differences remained between the United States and the Taliban after an eighth round of talks ended in Qatar on Monday.

Some 14,000 US troops remain engaged in America’s longest war, training and advising Afghan security forces and conducting counterinsurgency operations against militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State’s local affiliate.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement issued after the meeting that the United States remains committed “achieving a comprehensive peace agreement, including a reduction in violence and a ceasefire” in Afghanistan.

Trump and Pompeo were joined for the talks by Vice President Mike Pence, national security adviser John Bolton, Defense Secretary Mike Esper, Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph Dunford and CIA Director Gina Haspel.

“The meeting went very well, and negotiations are proceeding,” the White House said in a statement.

The US military presence dates to 2001 when then-President George W. Bush invaded in pursuit of al Qaeda and ousted the Taliban rulers who had given Osama bin Laden and his followers a safe haven in which they plotted the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Also read: US Afghan Peace Envoy to Hold Talks in Delhi Today

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said any deal should allow the United States to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan to pursue such groups.

“Any peace agreement which denies the US a robust counter-terrorism capability in Afghanistan is not a peace deal,” he said in a statement. “Instead, it is paving the way for another attack on the American homeland and attacks against American interests around the world.”

A senior administration official said a decision was not necessarily expected from the Bedminster meeting, but Trump “has been pretty clear that he wants to bring the troops home.”

Both sides had raised expectations of being close to finalising an agreement prior to convening the latest round of talks.

The US defence official, however, said differences remained over US demands that the insurgents publicly renounce ties to al Qaeda and other militant groups and agree to a nationwide ceasefire, the official said.

Khalilzad also is seeking the Taliban’s agreement to hold direct negotiations on a political settlement with Kabul government officials who would be part of a delegation that included opposition leaders and civil society representatives.

Taliban leaders to date have refused to hold official talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government, which they denounce as a US puppet.

(Reuters)

Exiting Iran Nuclear Pact Would Make Future Deals Tough, Says Top US General

Trump is considering whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the US

General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. September 26, 2017. Credit: Reuters

Washington: The top US military officer said on Tuesday Iran was complying with the pact curbing its nuclear programme and warned that any American decision to walk away from it would make other nations less likely to enter into agreements with the US.

President Donald Trump is considering whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the US, calling the accord an “embarrassment.”

Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran was complying with its obligations under the nuclear deal, but had increased its activity in other areas.

“Iran is projecting malign influence across the Middle East, threatening freedom of navigation, while supporting terrorist organizations in Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” Dunford said.

The committee’s top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, asked Dunford whether walking away from the Iran nuclear pact would affect the US ability to negotiate with North Korea or devise a non-military solution towards Pyongyang.

“It makes sense to me that our holding up agreements that we have signed, unless there is a material breech, would have an impact on others’ willingness to sign agreements,” Dunford said during his reappointment hearing.

Trump this year also announced he would withdraw the US from the international Paris climate agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

US officials, including senior military leaders, have said that the first option to deal with the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme is through diplomacy.

The ambassadors to the US from Britain, France, Germany and the EU all strongly backed the nuclear agreement with Iran on Monday as long as Tehran continues to comply with the pact.

If Trump does not recertify by October 16 that Iran is in compliance with the agreement, Congress would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the accord.

That would let Congress, controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, effectively decide whether to kill the deal. Although congressional leaders have declined to say whether they would seek to reimpose sanctions, Republican lawmakers were united in their opposition to the deal reached by Democratic former President Barack Obama.

A collapse of the deal could trigger a regional arms race and worsen Middle East tensions.

Threat posed by Russia

Dunford said that while North Korea currently poses the most urgent threat, Russia presents the biggest threat in terms of overall military capability.

Asked if he supported US lethal aid to Russia’s neighbour Ukraine, Dunford said he does and has “made that recommendation” within the administration. He said discussion of the issue has reached the White House, but did not say when a decision would be made.

Ukraine has sought US support against Russia since a pro-Western government took power following street protests in 2014, when the Kremlin-backed president fled the country. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine the same year.

Dunford also said the US would not be able to “attain our objectives” in Afghanistan, where American forces have been deployed since 2001, without a change of behaviour by neighbouring Pakistan.

“It is unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the US government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban,” Dunford said.

US officials remain frustrated by what they term Pakistan’s unwillingness to act against Islamist militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

The Trump administration is exploring whether to harden its approach towards Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in Afghanistan.

Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the US in tracking down militants, and says it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist attacks in response to its crackdowns.

(Reuters)

Trump Removes Steve Bannon From National Security Council

Vice president Mike Pence said Bannon would continue to play an important role in policy and played down the shake-up as routine.

Steve Bannon departs after a meeting about the American Health Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US March 23, 2017. Credit: Reuters

Washington: US President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions.

Trump’s overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also elevated General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence who heads all 17 US intelligence agencies. The official said the change moves the NSC “back to its core function of what it’s supposed to do.”

It also appears to mark a victory for national security adviser HR McMaster, who had told some national security experts he felt he was in a “battle to the death” with Bannon and others on the White House staff.

Vice president Mike Pence said Bannon would continue to play an important role in policy and played down the shake-up as routine.

“This is just a natural evolution to ensure the NSC is organised in a way that best serves the president in resolving and making those difficult decisions,” Pence said on Fox News.

Trump’s White House team has grappled with infighting and intrigue that has hobbled his young presidency. In recent days, several other senior US foreign policy and national security officials have said the mechanisms for shaping the Trump administration’s response to pressing challenges such as Syria, North Korea and Iran still were not in place.

Critics of Bannon’s role on the NSC said it gave too much weight in decision-making to someone who lacked foreign policy expertise.

Bannon, who was chief executive of Trump’s presidential campaign in the months leading to his election in November, in some respects represents Trump’s “America First” nationalistic voice, helping fuel his anti-Washington fervour and pushing for the president to part ways at times with mainstream Republicans.

Before joining the Trump administration, Bannon headed Breitbart News, a right-wing website.

US representative Adam Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, called the shift in the NSC a positive step that will help McMaster “gain control over a body that was being politicised by Bannon’s involvement.”

“As the administration’s policy over North Korea, China, Russia and Syria continues to drift, we can only hope this shake-up brings some level of strategic vision to the body,” he said.

Source: still influential

Bannon’s removal from the NSC was a potential setback for his sphere of influence in the Trump White House, where he has a voice in most major decisions.

But a Trump confidant said Bannon remained as influential as ever.

“He is still involved in everything and still has the full confidence of the president but to be fair he can only do so much stuff,” the confidant said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The White House official said Bannon was no longer needed on the NSC after the departure of Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was forced to resign on February 13 over his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, prior to Trump’s taking office on January 20.

The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only attended one of the NSC’s regular meetings.

The official dismissed questions about a power struggle between Bannon and McMaster, saying they shared the same world view.

However, two current national security officials rejected the White House explanation, noting that two months have passed since Flynn’s departure.

McMaster, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also has duelled with Bannon and others over direct access to Trump; the future of deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, a former Fox News commentator; intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a Flynn appointee; and other staffing decisions.

Trump is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting on Thursday and Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping with the threat of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs a key component of their talks.

Bannon’s seat on the NSC’s “principals’ committee,” a group that includes the secretaries of state, defence and other ranking aides, was taken by Rick Perry, who as energy secretary is charged with overseeing the US nuclear weapons arsenal.

(Reuters)