Briana Koeneman
US Defense Secretary Mattis Makes A Stop In Afghanistan
His trip took place several days after a Taliban attack on an Afghan army base killed at least 140 soldiers.
LEARN MOREPosted: 1:49 p.m. EDT Jun 14, 2017
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis now has the power to send more American troops into Afghanistan.
During a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, Mattis confirmed that President Donald Trump gave him the authority to set troop levels in the country.
He insisted there won't be any changes to the number of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan just yet.
But he told Congress on Tuesday he is working on a revised strategy for the conflict there.
"We're not winning in Afghanistan right now. And we will correct this as soon as possible," Mattis said.
American forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 to overthrow the Taliban regime, and those forces have been there ever since.
The Taliban has been making a comeback in recent years. And U.S. officials have said they need to send in more troops to help quash those gains.
The U.S. currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan. The Trump administration is reportedly considering increasing that number by up to 5,000.
