President Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday evening over the United States mission in Afghanistan; rejecting “arbitrary timetables” and saying the US will refocus its efforts away from nation-building and towards “killing terrorists,” reports Fox News.
Speaking to American soldiers and military personnel in Fort Myer, Virginia, the President outlined his new strategy towards the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, adding the US will now have a “clear definition” of victory.
“From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America,” said the President.
“Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on […] America’s enemies will never know our plans,” he added. “We are not nation-building again… We are killing terrorists.”
The War in Afghanistan was a direct response to the terror attacks of September 11th, and is now the longest armed conflict in American history; spanning nearly 16 years and costing the lives of over 2,300 American service members.
Watch the President’s remarks above.