Trump reportedly told Mattis: 'You don't need a strategy to kill people'
by Travis J. Tritten
| September 06, 2018 12:49 PM
President Trump dressed down Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and top military leaders last summer about the stalemate in Afghanistan and told them “you don’t need a strategy to kill people,†according to Bob Woodward’s new book.
The president also criticized the former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, and questioned whether he was a “winner†during the July 20, 2017 classified meeting in the Pentagon’s secure briefing room called the Tank.
“When are we going to start winning some wars? We've got these charts. When are we going to win some wars? Why are you jamming this down my throat?†Trump reportedly said. “You should be killing guys. You don't need a strategy to kill people.â€
The meeting came as the administration was struggling to put together a new strategy for the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan. The following month, Trump announced his strategy giving commanders more troops and leeway to assist Afghan forces.
Nicholson had been overseeing a strategy handed down by the Obama administration, which drew down the military presence in the country to about 8,400 troops in hopes of ending what had become the longest war in U.S. history.
“I don't think he knows how to win. I don't know if he's a winner. There's no victories,†Trump told Mattis and a room full of officials including Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Joint Chiefs chairman, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/trump-reportedly-told-jim-mattis-you-dont-need-a-strategy-to-kill-people 
