The 9/11 terrorist attacks were used as grounds for the United States to begin airstrikes in October 2001 and ultimately send ground troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to catch Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda operatives behind the attacks. Bush would leave the White House in January 2009 with 36,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan and an additional 32,000 in NATO forces. Obama spent his first few years in office expanding the United States’ role in the war and increasing ground troops to as many as 100,000 troops on the ground in August 2010. Shortly after bin Laden was found in Pakistan and killed by Navy Seals in May 2011, Obama announced a withdrawal plan, reducing troops to 77,000 in 2012, 46,000 in December 2013, and down to about 9,800 troops in March 2015. Later that year Obama rescinded his initial promise for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan, and he left office with 8,400 US troops on the ground in Afghanistan and about three times as many contractors. Now with Donald Trump serving as commander in chief, the Pentagon and Trump administration are leaning toward increasing US troops on the ground as the administration has quietly added a few hundred troops on the ground in Syria.
Democracy Now! reported on May 9, “in Washington, DC, members of the Trump administration and Pentagon officials are pushing for the deployment of at least 3,000 more US troops to Afghanistan and the relaxation of restrictions on launching airstrikes there.” CNN reported that number could be as high as 5,000, and that the Pentagon is requesting authority to deploy more troops without any quota limit.
The Trump administration is expected to make their decision later this month whether to continue prolonging “the forever war,” what has already been the longest war in United States history going into its 16th year. Based on its decision to drop a MOAB, the United States’ most powerful non-nuclear bomb on the country, in April 2017, the Trump administration appears eager to push the United States back further into the war in Afghanistan.
“Without a clear objective and mission, and therefore a clear exit strategy, it doesn’t make sense to continue to pour manpower, military assets, and billions of dollars into Afghanistan,” said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), an Iraq War veteran and currently serving as a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard, in a statement. In 2013, she visited Afghanistan, where she insisted stability in the country can only be achieved by the Afghan people themselves. “We need to end our nation-building efforts abroad and instead rebuild our own country.” The Watson Institute at Brown University estimates that the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have cost nearly $5 trillion so far, with the interest alone from the loans taken out to pay for the wars expected to reach over $7.9 trillion in 2053.
As a presidential candidate, Trump tried to brand himself as someone who would steer US foreign policy away from the interventionism that has traditionally mandated it. Instead, he’s falling in line with the military industrial complex and war hawks who would like to see the United States continue its role in perpetual war in the Middle East.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $110,000 in one-time donations and to add 1350 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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