A deal between the Trump administration and the Taliban that would result in thousands of troops from Afghanistan is a bad idea, Rep. Michael Waltz, who served as a Green Beret in the long-lasting war, said Friday.
"I have no problem with entering into a deal, but so far, I don't like this deal," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "I think this is a bad deal."
The Taliban has made many promises, including entering into a cease-fire, but "they are still bombing children in Kabul," said Waltz. 'They promised to talk to the Afghan government, but they have not done that yet."
Most importantly, he added, the Taliban promised to keep Al Qaeda and ISIS at bay, and he doubts they have the capability to do what U.S. troops and the Afghan army have struggled to do for the past 18 years.
"We cannot have a situation with what President (Barack) Obama did where he just tried to wish the war away in Iraq and pulled our troops out," said Waltz. We ended up with ISIS and the entire catastrophe that has been Syria.
Meanwhile, Waltz said he has supported the president's attempts to come to a deal with North Korea, but after the country has been testing short-range missiles, "enough is enough."
"You know the North Koreans have not declared their nuclear sites," he said. "The thing the North Koreans care about the most is their wallet and their back pocket and the regime's revival. We need to fully resume the maximum pressure campaign until they start stepping up to the plate."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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