Muddling along in Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump is desperate to pull American troops out of the war-torn country, even if it means clearing the way for the Taliban's ascent to power in Kabul

US President Donald Trump’s unannounced visit to Afghanistan for the ostensible purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving Day and his surprise invitation to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for an official visit to Washington needs to be assessed in the context of his desperation to restart negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, which were abruptly terminated by him when the peace deal had seemed very close to being signed. This was Mr Trump’s first visit to Afghanistan since becoming president.  

The US president’s willingness, or rather desperation, to withdraw from Afghanistan has never been in question. He wants a substantial number of American soldiers