Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a longtime Trump supporter, professed that no U.S. plan was needed. But these efforts, and more recent wars of regime change, included troops on the ground — something the Trump White House has pledged will not happen. The country soon plunged into a civil war that the United States often seemed powerless to quell during a near-decade-long occupation. Trump, then a New York businessman, initially supported the Iraqi invasion but quickly turned against it. After an overwhelming display of U.S. and proxy forces prompted Taliban leaders to flee, the United States spent the next two decades struggling to pacify the country.

Source: Washington Post March 03, 2026 02:31 UTC