阿富汗新戰略出臺後美國防部長首次出訪阿富汗
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis landed in Afghanistan Wednesday on an unannounced visit – his first since the White House unveiled a revised plan for the U.S.-led war here.
Mattis landed in Kabul, his second stop on a South Asia tour that began in New Delhi.
President Donald Trump's Afghanistan plan, announced last month, envisions a greater role for regional players, including India, to help break the deadlock with Taliban insurgents.
During his stop in the Indian capital, Mattis praised India's “invaluable” contributions to Afghanistan, and welcomed “further efforts to promote Afghanistan's democracy, stability, and security.”
Mattis' Indian counterpart, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, promised to strengthen cooperation with Kabul, though he ruled out sending any Indian troops there.
The U.S. plan calls for a larger military presence in Afghanistan. Mattis recently announced the U.S. would send another 3,000 American troops, bringing the total number in the country to over 14,000.
Trump's plan also calls for more bombs. Official military figures show the U.S. dropped more weapons (503) on Afghanistan during August than in any other single month since 2012.
In a stalemate after 16 years of fighting, U.S. troops are involved primarily in a non-combat role, providing advice and assistance to Afghan defense forces and institutions.
Trump has stressed that the U.S. troops will only be withdrawn based on conditions on the ground, and has refused to set fixed withdrawal dates, as did his predecessor, Barack Obama.美國國防部長馬蒂斯星期三抵達阿富汗，這次訪問事先沒有宣佈，是白宮公佈阿富汗新戰略計劃後馬蒂斯首次前往阿富汗訪問。
喀布爾是馬蒂斯南亞之行的第二站，他剛剛結束對新德里的訪問。
美國總統川普上個月宣佈的阿富汗行動計劃談到，在打破阿富汗政府與塔利班反叛武裝之間的僵局上，包括印度在內的亞洲國家應該發揮更大的作用。
馬蒂斯在新德里訪問期間，讚揚印度在阿富汗問題上做出了“不可估量的”貢獻，並歡迎印度繼續努力，推動阿富汗的民主、穩定和安全。
印度國防部長西塔拉曼保證加強與阿富汗的合作，但明確表示，不會向阿富汗派兵。
美國的阿富汗行動計劃要求增加在阿富汗的駐軍。馬蒂斯最近宣佈，美國將向阿富汗增派3千美軍，使美國在阿富汗的駐軍總人數超過1萬4千人。
川普總統的計劃還要增加炸彈的數量。軍方的官方數字顯示，美軍8月份在阿富汗投擲的炸彈是2012年以來最多的一個月。
經過16年的戰爭，美軍如今在阿富汗主要參加非戰鬥工作，爲阿富汗部隊和相關部門充當顧問，提供支持。
川普總統強調說，美軍撤軍要依阿富汗地面戰況決定，拒絕向前任奧巴馬總統那樣，設定撤軍的具體日期。
