Thai gov. to tax (remitted) income from abroad for tax residents starting 2024 - Part II

[webfact]

U.S. considers significant Afghanistan troop withdrawal - officials

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. troops patrol at an Afghan National Army (ANA) Base in Logar province, Afghanistan August 7, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering significantly drawing down troops from Afghanistan, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, in the latest sign his patience is thinning both with America's longest war and overseas military interventions, generally.

 

Shortly after the officials spoke, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said that he was quitting so that Trump could have a Pentagon chief more aligned with the president's views.

 

Mattis has argued for maintaining a strong U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. He also opposed the U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria that Trump announced on Wednesday, a move that has bewildered allies and triggered harsh reaction from Republican allies in Congress.

 

The Pentagon declined comment on Afghanistan.

 

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that the White House was not going to comment "on future strategic developments."

 

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said thousands of the 14,000 troops could be sent home as a result of the deliberations, the disclosure of which could undermine peace efforts with the Taliban.

 

Trump privately has been grousing about U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, telling an ally as recently as Wednesday words to the effect of, "What are we doing there. We’ve been there all these years."

 

The source, who asked to remain unidentified, said it appeared the president "has lost all patience" with the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

 

More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that a precipitous exit would allow militants to develop new plots on America like the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that plunged the United States into an era of open-ended warfare.

 

Trump last year approved an increase in U.S. troops but acknowledged that he did so reluctantly. U.S. officials have told Reuters that Trump has been keen to bring the Afghan conflict to a close.

 

The Taliban insurgency has strengthened its grip over the past three years, with the government in Kabul controlling just 56 percent of Afghanistan, down from 72 percent in 2015, a U.S. government report showed.

 

Late last month, at least 22 Afghan police were killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan’s western province of Farah, adding to the growing casualty toll on Afghan security forces.

 

Earlier this week, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives held talks in Abu Dhabi on a deal that would end the war. Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also took part.

 

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, tweeted on Thursday that the discussions had been productive and would bring "very positive results by the beginning of next year."

 

But a former senior State Department official familiar with the issue said that the Taliban representatives rejected a proposal by Khalilzad for a ceasefire and demanded that the talks focus on a U.S. withdrawal. The news that a drawdown was under consideration could be intended as a gesture to the insurgents, the official said.

 

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay and Steve Holland; Editing by Mary Milliken and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-21

 

[Tug]

Atta boy Donald isis will come roaring back all that blood and treasure for naught sooo this was your master plan you wouldn’t talk about during the campaign?hey every one tired of winning yet??

[mtls2005]

Well, it seems like that "back-channel" from Russia has been successfully set up. Congrats Jared.

 

Now it's time for Erik Prince to step in and take over "security" (and heroin production/distribution) in Afghanistan. Mission Accomplished.

[Joe Mcseismic]

After seventeen years, just what has been accomplished?

[Boon Mee]

Time to bring the boys home... 

[chrisinth]

35 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

After seventeen years, just what has been accomplished?

About the same as they have accomplished in Iraq.

 

But back to Afghanistan. If the correct 'target' country had been picked after 9/11 for retaliation then things might be different today. Shows why history, even recent history with the Russian occupation, should be read and understood about the population of a specific country. Trying to force democracy on a country made up of warring tribes, none of which wanted it, has been an expensive lesson both on casualties and expenditure.

 

And of course with resistance comes consequences from the bringers of change, leading to an increase in collateral damage, which in turn, leads to an increase in the hatred of those responsible for the collateral damage, and ultimately leading to the birth of new terrorist organizations, such as ISIS. And so the process continues.

 

Just for clarification, I am not anti-military in any way, I spent 23 years of my life in the armed forces. What I am anti about are the people who make the decisions that require the armed forces to attempt to clean up their messes for them.

 

Naturally, IMO only........................

[chrisinth]

19 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Time to bring the boys home... 

All for that, IMO they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

 

But who fills the vacant space when they go? How much sh*t is left for those that have to remain?

 

That's the problem IMO.

[lannarebirth]

1 hour ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

After seventeen years, just what has been accomplished?

I think the Chinese got some fat mining contracts. That's how globalization works, innit?

[bendejo]

1 hour ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

After seventeen years, just what has been accomplished?

 

Ask the accountants at military contractors.

War is business.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

And will the USA learn from all those wars which they started and didn't win? And all the misery they left behind?

Maybe next they will invade Iran - to bring peace and democracy to the people.

The USA should bring all their military back home and make sure they never leave the country again.

 

[sqwakvfr]

Not a fan of POTUS and I realized the first time I landed at Kabul airport in 2005 that this place was not going to change.  17 years of Nation Building is enough.  A small military force will probably remain to support the State Department and maintain the bases in Bagram and Kandahar.  Long runways south of China might come in handy someday.  

[pegman]

Career military guys are empire builders. Never seen a base they didn't want to hold onto forever. That's why they should never be appointed to these type jobs. Keep these departments under civilian control.

 

 The Americans never did figure out who was friend or foe in Syria. In Afganistan they were up against the majority tribe and were always going to be outlasted. Give all your people proper healthcare and stop trying to rule over the entire world.

[Cryingdick]

4 hours ago, chrisinth said:

All for that, IMO they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

 

But who fills the vacant space when they go? How much sh*t is left for those that have to remain?

 

That's the problem IMO.

 

It's time to pull the plug. I agree they shouldn't have been there so now it is time to get them out. Afghanistan isn't America's fight. I hope we continue to withdraw from areas we have been involved in that simply do nothing for the security of America and use the money for infrastructure, paying down the deficit etc.

 

There is always going to be a terrorist that plans a bombing on US soil or plots something but you simply can not kill them all. You would be better to increase security at the airports and borders than chase down random fanatics in a foreign land.

 

If another  country feels so strongly about it let them go in and solve the Afghan problems. Nobody will because it costs money. Maybe China if they can strip some resources. 

[Enoon]

 

 

11 hours ago, chrisinth said:

But who fills the vacant space when they go? How much sh*t is left for those that have to remain?

 

 

 

After a fairly short time the vacant space will be filled with the people they've been fighting against.

 

That will be after "those that remain" have put up some resistance, then fled to neighbouring countries/sought asylum in the US or drifted back to the village.

 

And the war will have been fought, lost.....and won.

 

Wasn't it nice in the good old days before Reagan determined to get rid of "The Evil Empire" by building up the Mujahadeen?

 

That turned out a bit like destroying Hitler only to hand over half of Europe to another murderous psychopath.

 

I can go on like this all the way back to the 6th century BC if you like.

 

Only joking of course.

 

Ha..................Ha..............................Ha.

 

 

 

[lannarebirth]

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

 

Wasn't it nice in the good old days before Reagan determined to get rid of "The Evil Empire" by building up the Mujahadeen.

 

 

 

Reagan certainly bought into and expanded on that stupid and short sighted strategy, but it was not initiated by his administration. That dubious credit goes to Carter/Vance/Brzezinski/CIA.