President Donald Trump has said a hasty US
withdrawal from Afghanistan would leave a
vacuum for terrorists to fill.
He said his original instinct was to pull US
forces out, but had instead decided to stay
and "fight to win" to avoid the mistakes made
in Iraq.
He said he wanted to shift from a time-based
approach in Afghanistan to one based on
conditions on the ground, adding he would not
set deadlines.
However, the US president warned it was not a
"blank cheque" for Afghanistan.
"America will work with the Afghan
government, so long as we see commitment
and progress," he said.
The Taliban responded by saying that
Afghanistan would become "another
graveyard" for the US if it did not withdraw its
troops.
What is the new strategy?
President Trump has committed to stepping
up the US military's engagement in
Afghanistan, but details were few and far
between.
He said his new approach would be more
pragmatic than idealistic, but he refused to
get drawn on how many extra troops, if any,
would be deployed and gave no timeline for
ending the US presence in the country.
He did, however, put pressure on neighbouring
Pakistan, warning that the US would no longer
tolerate it offering "safe havens" to extremists
- an accusation swiftly dismissed by a
Pakistani army spokesman.
The president also, for the first time, left the
door open for an eventual peace deal with the
Taliban, saying: "Someday, after an effective
military effort, perhaps it will be possible to
have a political settlement that includes
elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan."
However, Mr Trump said there would be an
escalation in the battle against groups like al-
Qaeda and so-called Islamic State.
"[They] need to know they have nowhere to
hide - that no place is beyond the reach of
American arms," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump made it clear he expects
his existing allies - singling out India - to
support him in his new strategy, and urged
them to raise their countries' contributions "in
line with our own".
Is Trump flip-flopping?
Before his presidency, Mr Trump was not shy
about criticising his predecessors on their
Afghanistan policy. He previously supported
pulling US troops out of the conflict, which
began under President George W Bush in 2001
after the 9/11 attacks.
Early on in his presidential campaign,
however, he did acknowledge that US troops
would have to stay in order to avoid the total
collapse of the Afghan government.
And this long-awaited announcement came
after a months-long review, with the president
himself acknowledging that his original
instinct to pull-out had been reversed after
discussions with national security advisers
Will it damage his base?
Aleem Maqbool, BBC North America
correspondent, Washington
On paper, the Americans who could have the
biggest problem with President Trump's new
Afghanistan strategy are the very ones who
voted for him.
They were told Donald Trump would focus on
a policy of "America First", but he now says
he wants a win in Afghanistan to make all the
sacrifice worthwhile.
In terms of how he is going to achieve that
goal, he did not lay out specifics - once again
saying he does not like to signpost strategy to
America's enemies.
But it is hard to know what a modest troop
increase would achieve that the massive surge
under President Barack Obama could not.
It is also unclear how he expects more co-
operation from Pakistan while also asking
India to play more of a role in Afghanistan -
the very thing that alarms the Pakistani
establishment.
What is the reaction?
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis indicated in a
statement "several" US allies had already
"committed to increasing their troop numbers".
His UK counterpart, Sir Michael Fallon, said
America's commitment in Afghanistan was
"very welcome", adding: "We have to stay the
course in Afghanistan to help build up its
fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist
threat to the West."
General John Nicholson, the head of both US
and international forces in Afghanistan, said
the "new strategy means the Taliban cannot
win militarily".
But Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid
dismissed Mr Trump's strategy as "nothing
new", telling the AFP news agency that the US
should think of an exit strategy "instead of
continuing the war".
US combat operations against the Taliban
officially ended in 2014, more than 8,000
special forces continue to provide support to
Afghan troops.
The Afghan government continues to battle
insurgency groups and controls just half of the
country.
Source: bbc
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