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Trump Says US Troops Will Remain In Afghanistan, Hits Out At Pakistan For Harbouring Terrorists
Donald Trump speaks at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia.
In his address to the nation and military outlining the strategy his administration will follow in Afghanistan and South Asia, United States President Donald Trump has vowed to maintain America's military commitment and criticised Pakistan for providing Taliban and other terror outfits safe havens in its territory.
Trump said his “original instinct was to pull out” but that he was dissuaded by the risk of terrorist groups rushing into a security vacuum that an American withdrawal would create, saying Afghanistan and Pakistan have “the highest concentration” of terror groups of “any region of the world.”
"We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq," Trump said, adding that the country became safe heaven for the Islamic State fighters after the withdrawal of US forces in the year 2011.
However, Trump refused to be drawn on how many extra troops, if any, would be deployed. The US is expected to deploy another 4,000 troops in Afghanistan, the number General John Nicholson, the top US military commander in the country, requested. Trump's decision follows months of deliberation with top US commanders, political advisers and enlisted veterans of the 16-year war.
Referring to India as a key security and economic partner, Trump said that the country has contributed immensely towards peace and stability in the region and that the US wants New Delhi to step up its economic assistance to Kabul.
Trump said he would take a much tougher line than Barack Obama’s administration with Pakistan, accusing of the country of harbouring terrorist groups and warning that Islamabad would have “much to lose” if it continued.
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