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Afghan government seeks clarification of Donald Trump's remarks on 'wiping out Afghanistan'

Agencies
Kabul, AfghanistanUpdated: Jul 23, 2019, 02:25 PM IST
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File photo. Photograph:(Reuters)

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'The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate,' Afghanistan's presidential palace said in a statement.

Afghanistan's government called on Tuesday for clarification of US President Donald Trump's remarks that he could win the Afghan war in just 10 days by "wiping out Afghanistan from the face of the earth", the presidential palace in Kabul said.

Trump's remarks followed a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House on Monday. He voiced optimism that Pakistan could help broker a political settlement to end the nearly 18-year-old war in Afghanistan.

"The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate," Afghanistan's presidential palace said in a statement.

On Monday, Trump said that he could win Afghanistan war in "a week or ten days" but he doesn't want to "wipe" Afghanistan off the face of the earth. 

"We have been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years, and we've acted as policemen, not soldiers and again if we wanted to be soldiers it would be over in 10 days -- one week to 10 days if we wanted to. But I have not chosen that," Trump said at the Oval office while hosting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who is in a three-day visit to the US.  

During the discussion on Afghanistan peace process with Khan, Trump warned that "Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth."

"Why would we kill millions of people. It wouldn't be fair in terms of humanity, it wouldn't be fair. So we're doing very well and I think that Pakistan is going to be a big help," Trump added.

"There is only one solution, and I feel, and I think that we will discuss this, is the closest we have been to a peace deal. And we hope that in the coming days we will be able to urge the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government and come to a settlement -- a political solution," Trump also said.

The United States is pressing for a political agreement with the Taliban before presidential voting in Afghanistan in late September. This would clear the way for most US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan and bring an end to America's longest war.