WASHINGTON – *The U.S. military is rushing to demonstrate it is makingprogress in Afghanistan during a critical period that will test PresidentDonald Trump’s strategy.*

According to Washington Post, U.S. military leaders say the arrival of newtroops and aircraft, along with a renewed mission to advise localoperations more closely, will help reverse a Taliban resurgence that hasexposed the fragility of the long American project in Afghanistan.

“This is not another year of the same thing we’ve been doing for 17 years,”Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, saidduring a tour of military facilities across Afghanistan last week. “This isa fundamentally different approach.”

In the meantime, the U.S. task force southwest commanding general, Brig.Roger Turner declared that the regional actors support the oppositiongroups in Afghanistan.

“The Taliban in Helmand couldn’t exist without external support. They getthe external support from a number of regional actors. I believe that ifthe Afghans only had to deal with the Taliban, they could deal with it. Butthe Taliban being enabled by regional actors,” Gen. Roger Turner said.