US President Donald Trump has claimed he could have won the war in Afghanistan in just three weeks. Speaking at a midterm campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, he criticised previous US administrations over America's longest war.
"Afghanistan, years and years. Then, we never fight to win. We don't fight to win. We fight to tie," Trump said. "I could have won that war in three weeks." He made a similar claim about the Vietnam War, saying he could have won it in a week.
The United States launched its military campaign in Afghanistan in October 2001, after the September 11 attacks. The war lasted nearly 20 years, ending with the completion of the US withdrawal in August 2021 as the Taliban returned to power. The February 2020 Doha agreement with the Taliban that paved the way for the pullout was signed during Trump's first term.
The remarks come ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections, and as Kabul has urged Washington to act with care over the deportation of Afghan migrants.