McMaster may move Afghanistan envoy position to White House
Source: Politico
The national security adviser looks for more control over U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
By NAHAL TOOSI 11/02/2017 12:30 PM EDT
Aides to President Donald Trump have considered reviving an office it shut down months ago that was dedicated to resolving the conflict in Afghanistan, a sign that the Trump administration’s policy there remains unsettled.
Multiple sources said that senior Trump aides have discussed resurrecting the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was previously based in the State Department, as a White House-based operation.
The discussions suggest that, well after Trump laid out his Afghanistan strategy in August, his aides are still calibrating their diplomatic approach to the 16-year-old conflict, even as they forge ahead with a tougher military posture there. Already, some prominent names are being floated for the special envoy position, including former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
The special representative has generally been the main coordinator in the U.S. government on policy related to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/02/afghanistan-envoy-position-white-house-244426