During a July 19 meeting with his top advisers on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, President Trump suggested multiple times to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford that he might fire Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, because he is not winning the war, senior administration officials told NBC News Wednesday.
Trump, who has never met with Nicholson, also directed his anger at Mattis, saying the U.S. was losing ground in Afghanistan. During the two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room, a frustrated Trump complained about China making money off of Afghanistan's rare minerals, charging advisers with finding a way to get American businesses in there quickly to get rights to the minerals, and had harsh words about NATO allies.
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