TRUMP CHALLENGES HIS GENERALS: President Trump, unhappy with the lack of progress in the nearly 16-year war in Afghanistan, and displeased with the options presented by his national security team, has reportedly considered firing Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. That’s just one jaw-dropping detail provided in an account from NBC News, which draws back the curtain on a mid-July meeting in the White House situation room, in which it was expected that Trump would sign off on a plan proposed by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to send roughly 4,000 additional military trainers to shore up the NATO “Resolute Support” mission as well as the joint U.S.-Afghan counterterrorism mission targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
“Trump left the national security meeting without making a decision on a strategy. His advisers were stunned,” the NBC report asserts, quoting senior administration officials. “Two Pentagon officials close to Mattis said he returned from the White House that morning visibly upset. Mattis often takes a walk when grappling with an issue. That afternoon, the walk took longer than usual, the officials said.”
