WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy Monday night in a national address, calling a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable" and pledging a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.
QUICK EXIT UNACCEPTABLE
Trump delivered a prime-time nationally televised address at 9 p.m. local time on Monday (0100 GMT, Tuesday) from Fort Myer in Virginia.
In this over 30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick exit of the U.S. troops, saying that a "nasty withdrawal" would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that terrorists including the Islamic State and al-Qaida would instantly fill.
He said that the Untied States have been facing "immense" security threats in Afghanistan and the broader region, which made him stop following his "original instinct" to "pull out" the troops.
As a long-time critic of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan under the Obama administration, Trump ordered a review of the strategy soon after taking office in January.
During his speech, Trump also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."
Read the full story at Xinhua
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