Every American military intervention in a distant land, it is said, begins as a great crusade and ends in a chaotic search for the exits. After 17 years, US$2 trillion (S$2.7 trillion) and thousands of lives lost in the Afghan war, US President Donald Trump wants out. Soon.
Mr Trump has reportedly decided to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan. Last September, he appointed a special envoy, Mr Zalmay Khalilzad, to look for an early political settlement. In pursuit of that quest, Mr Khalilzad has been shuttling between different capitals - from Abu Dhabi to Beijing, Qatar to Delhi, Riyadh to Islamabad and Kabul.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you