Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
Amidst commencing of US Special Envoy Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad’s 8th round of peace talks, President Donald Trump has made anger the Afghans with his remarks during bilateral talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House. Afghanistan has demanded the United States to clarify about remarks made by President Donald Trump, who said the country “would be wiped off the face of the earth” if he wanted to win the war in Afghanistan. Follow up media reports reveal that fallout from the President’s remarks rippled through a tense and confrontational meeting in Kabul between the US special representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Quoting two sources familiar with their conversation, it states that during the meeting, Afghan officials said Trump’s comments were “unacceptable,” given the relationship between the US and Afghanistan. At one point in his Oval Office remarks, Trump referred to dropping America’s largest non-nuclear bomb on Afghanistan in 2017, and said that dropping more of them would be the “easiest solution” to ending the conflict there. Afghan officials also told Khalilzad that Trump should show more respect for National Unity leadership. So far the State Department declined to comment, but it has confirmed previously unplanned follow-up meetings will take place in Kabul. While demanding a clarification on President Donald Trump’s remarks, the government in Kabul has made it clear, “the Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate.” Beside former President Hamid Karzai, President Trump’s comments also drew condemnation from the Taliban, marking a rare topic of agreement for the insurgent group and the Afghan government. Trump on Monday had suggested that he could put an end to the Afghanistan war in a week, but that it would cost millions of lives and wipe the country “off the face of the Earth.” Whatever might be future strategies on the part of US, Pakistan and others regarding Afghanistan but one thing is very clear that the Afghans have been made united by latest round of US-Pakistan talks at White House. Except some of Taliban leaders and a few puppets from so-called religious groups, almost Afghans have realized importance’s of peace, reconciliation and stability. All of them are now well aware of international and regional intrigues against Afghanistan and its people. It is the time for all Afghan leadership to foil further plots and intrigues, being hatched against Afghanistan and its people.
