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Trump: US, Pakistan Cooperating to Try to End War in Afghanistan

Steve Herman

   This story was updated on July 22 at 2:25 pm
   WHITE HOUSE - The United States and Pakistan are jointly seeking a way
   to end the war in Afghanistan, U.S. President Donald Trump said
   alongside Pakistani Prime Imran Khan in the Oval Office on Monday.

   "We're working with Pakistan and others on getting an agreement signed"
   with the Taliban while the United States continues to "very slowly and
   very safely" reduce the number of its troops in Afghanistan, said Trump
   during his initial meeting with Khan at the White House.

   The Pakistani prime minister declared "this is the closest we've been
   to a peace deal in Afghanistan. There's no military solution in
   Afghanistan."

   In the coming days, Khan added, there are hopes of getting "the Taliban
   to speak to the Afghan government."

   Khan complimented Trump for his efforts, saying "he has forced people
   to end the war, to have a settlement" adding Pakistan has an important
   role to play as it shares a 2,400-kilometer border with Afghanistan.

   "We desperately want peace," declared Khan.

   Trump, during his White House discussion with Khan, declared that if he
   wanted to win the war in Afghanistan "I could win it in a week. I just
   don't want to kill 10 million people."

   The president warned that Afghanistan "would be wiped off the face of
   the Earth. It would be gone. It would be over, literally in 10 days. I
   don't want to go that route."

   Trump explained that the United States is not supposed to the world's
   policeman. "We've been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years. It's
   ridiculous," he said.

   Khan requested the meeting with Trump to stress the need for a
   political solution to the protracted war in Afghanistan.

   Khan had long campaigned against the use of U.S. military force to
   resolve the conflict even before he came to power after last year's
   elections in Pakistan.

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