[ti:Trump Announces New Plan for Afghanistan] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]President Donald Trump says that the United States [00:04.30]must continue fighting in Afghanistan in a conflict [00:08.27]that he once called a "complete waste." [00:12.64]In a televised speech to the nation, [00:15.76]Trump said his "original instinct was to pull out." [00:21.00]But he said he changed his mind after a series of meetings [00:25.56]with his Cabinet members and top military advisors. [00:31.32]Trump said a "hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum [00:36.08]that terrorists – including ISIS and Al Qaeda – would instantly fill." [00:43.96]He added the U.S. must prevent Afghanistan and the region [00:49.32]from giving shelter to Islamist militants. [00:54.12]"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens [00:59.04]for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups [01:03.87]that pose a threat to the region and beyond," he said. [01:08.90]Trump said, going forward, U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan [01:15.92]will be based on conditions on the ground. [01:19.96]He said no time period would be set for withdrawal. [01:25.16]And, he said the U.S. would not announce future military plans, [01:30.49]including troop numbers. [01:33.68]"America's enemies must never know our plans [01:38.04]or believe they can wait us out. [01:40.80]I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will." [01:47.20]For years, Trump has criticized the U.S. effort in Afghanistan [01:53.04]and called for a "speedy withdrawal" of U.S. troops. [01:58.28]As president, Trump has questioned whether sending more troops is wise. [02:05.08]"We're not winning," he told advisers in a July meeting. [02:10.84]But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has argued [02:14.60]that a U.S. military presence is needed [02:17.52]to protect against a continuing threat from Islamist militants. [02:23.20]On Sunday, Mattis said the president's plan involved more than just Afghanistan, [02:29.64]saying it amounted to a full "South Asia strategy." [02:34.88]And, earlier Monday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson [02:40.08]spoke on the phone with leaders of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan [02:46.04]to discuss the new U.S. "regional strategy." [02:51.04]U.S. generals have advised Trump to send as many as 4,000 troops [02:57.04]to retake territory from the Taliban. [03:01.00]The group now controls nearly half of Afghanistan. [03:06.12]But Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" foreign policy, [03:11.80]has been resistant to commit more troops to the country. [03:17.16]James Dobbins was a U.S. special diplomat to Afghanistan [03:22.24]and Pakistan under former President Barack Obama. [03:27.12]Before Trump spoke Monday night, [03:29.88]Dobbins said the president has only a choice between "losing and not losing." [03:36.84]"Winning is not an option," Dobbins told VOA's Afghan Service. [03:43.84]More U.S. troops could help train more members of the Afghan special forces, [03:49.88]says Michael Kugelman, a South Asian expert at the Wilson Center. [03:55.52]The new strategy, Kugelman added, [03:58.48]has to consider Pakistan's role in the region. [04:02.96]Pakistan, he said, "happens to play a key role in the war in Afghanistan [04:09.16]because, among other things, [04:11.67]leaders of the Taliban insurgency have used Pakistan as a sanctuary." [04:17.88]Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. [04:25.28]Most are advising Afghan forces but some are involved in operations [04:31.40]against the Taliban and the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate. [04:37.12]That number is down from nearly 100,000 troops in August 2010. [04:44.52]The war in Afghanistan started in October 2001 under President George W. Bush [04:52.12]after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. [04:58.36]"Most Afghans are not expecting any fundamental change in U.S. policy," [05:04.00]said Aimal Faizi, an Afghan journalist and aide to former President Hamid Karzai. [05:12.16]"Afghanistan has become a global issue. [05:15.68]Any U.S. strategy based on the assumption that Washington alone [05:20.76]decides the way forward in Afghanistan is a terrible mistake," he said. [05:26.88]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM