Trump calls Asim Munir, Shehbaz Sharif 'great people,' says he can 'quickly solve' Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

United States (US) President Donald Trump has praised Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir and claimed that he will “quickly” resolve the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Speaking during the signing of the Thailand-Cambodia peace deal on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Trump said that solving this conflict will add to his list of what ending "eight un-endable wars."

“We're averaging one a month. There is only one left, although I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up. But I'll get that solved very quickly. I know them both. And the Pakistan Field Marshal, and the Prime Minister are great people, and I have no doubt we're going to get that done quickly,” Trump said. “I do it nicely…I don't need to do it, I guess. But if I can take time and save millions of lives, that's really a great thing. I can't think of anything better to do,” he added. “I can't think of any President that ever solved one war. I don't think anybody. They start wars, they don't solve them,” he also said.

This comes as peace talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan began on Saturday and was aimed at arranging a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire for a longer term. Meanwhile, CNN-News18 citing sources said that talks concluded in Istanbul after nine-hour session. While no formal agreement was signed, both delegations committed to an immediate de-escalation of border tensions.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif issued yet another war threat and said that Afghanistan wants peace but warned that failure to reach an agreement would mean "open war." Afghanistan and Pakistan were engaged in one of the worst clashes between the two countries since decades. Asif also accused Taliban of foghting ‘India’s proxy war.' Afghanistan Defence Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid slammed Pakistan for the remarks.