It's Donald Trump's turn to wrestle with an overseas situation that frustrated two earlier presidents -- the fight against anti-American terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which has lasted nearly 16 years. In a nationally televised speech last week to troops at Fort Myer, Va., the president deepened U.S. involvement in a military mission that he once called futile. "My original instinct was to pull out," he acknowledged. "But . . . decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office." Strategy sessions with Cabinet members and generals lead him to believe "a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda," he said at the Army base near Washington, D.C.

He plans to commit more soldiers to the mountainous nation in South-Central Asia, though no number is disclosed yet. America now has 8,400 troops training and advising Afghan forces, a mission Trump will will expand -- though he says there'll be no "blank check" for America's role. "In the end, we will win," he vows without describing what would represent success. Since President George Bush invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, nearly 2,400 U.S. military members have been killed there and more than 20,000 have been wounded in action. In addition, there have been almost 1,200 U.S. civilian contractor fatalities. President Barack Obama also grappled with the situation after Bush. The main enemy is the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist political movement waging war (or jihad) against the Afghan government.

Trump's buildup is aimed at convincing the Taliban — which has gained substantial ground recently — that they can’t win on the battlefield and should negotiate with national leaders in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. The U.S. president also wants to add pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist sanctuaries along its border with Afghanistan.

Reactions to Trump's moves are mixed. "His plan amounted to a jumble of ideas that lacked detail and coherence," says a New York Times editorial. “Having spent years criticizing America’s involvement in Afghanistan, he now appears inclined toward an open-ended commitment, but with no real ways to measure success and no hint of a timetable for withdrawal." The chief executive earns support from Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, a Washington policy center. "If President Trump can reverse the momentum, then he could arguably claim bragging rights and achieve at least a partial strategic success," he says.

President says: "No place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms."

Senator says: "The mission in Afghanistan has lost its purpose, and I think it is a terrible idea to send any more troops into that war. It's time to come home now." – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky

Columnist writes: "It's like any of the speeches that other politicians could have given about Afghanistan, which the pre-presidential Trump ridiculed for having no end point or concept of victory. He was right then." – James Fallows, The Atlantic magazine