KABUL - The Trump administration’s new strategy could change the nature of US military engagement in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary James Mattis has suggested.
The new strategy, also covering relations with Pakistan, would “align everything” to formulate a strong US response to militancy in Afghanistan, he said.
It would also have a regional context, including a Pakistan angle, Mattis told a news briefing in Washington on Sunday. He also hinted at the deployment of about 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
At the same time, according to the US media, the secretary explained the new strategy would also involve changes to what the US troops on the ground were doing presently in Afghanistan.
Mattis said that Senator John McCain, heads of the Senate Armed Services Committee, had a key role in formulating the new policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
During a visit to the region earlier in the month, Senator McCain asked Pakistan leaders to take conclusive action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network or face the  consequences. (Pajhwok)