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Trump praises Pakistan's role in 'progress' on Afghan peace
Updated 19:35, 26-Aug-2023
CGTN
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02:28

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday hailed Pakistan for its help in advancing peace talks in Afghanistan, in a marked shift in tone as the United States seeks an accord with the Taliban to end more than 18 years of war. 

Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump also repeatedly warned he could end the war in a matter of days in such a way that "Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth," but preferred dialogue. 

"We've made a lot of progress over the last couple of weeks, and Pakistan has helped us with that progress," said Trump. 

"A lot of things are happening for the United States, and I think a lot of great things are going to be happening for Pakistan under your leadership," he added as he turned to face his counterpart, in an encounter filled with smiles and mutual praise. 

The warm words signaled a reversal for the Republican president, who has in the past accused Pakistan of lying and being duplicitous, heightening tensions in a relationship that was already fractured before he came to office. 

U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan take questions from reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan take questions from reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan take questions from reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Khan told Trump that a peace deal with the Taliban was closer than it had ever been. 

"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," Khan said in the Oval Office meeting when reporters were present. 

He invoked a request to do so by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting a denial from India's foreign ministry, which said the fate of the territory remained a bilateral matter. 

"No such request has been made by the Prime Minister to the U.S. President," tweeted Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry.

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

The Pentagon said Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will meet later on Monday with the top American military officer, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford. 

Analysts believe Bajwa will play a key role in behind-the-scenes discussions, with the military looking to persuade Washington to restore aid and cooperation. 

Pakistani intelligence led CIA to bin Laden

Pakistan's main spy agency provided the U.S. with a lead that helped them find and kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Khan also said Monday. 

Khan made his claim in an interview with Fox News when he was asked whether his country would release a jailed doctor whose fake immunization drive helped the U.S. track and kill the terror chief in 2011. 

"This is a very emotive issue, because Shakeel Afridi in Pakistan is considered a spy," he told host Bret Baier, referring to the doctor. 

"We in Pakistan always felt that we were an ally of the U.S. and if we had been given the information about Osama bin Laden, we should have taken him out." 

Baier then asked if Khan understood the skepticism around the Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI) for leaking key information, to which Mr Khan replied: "And yet it was ISI that gave the information which led to the location of Osama bin Laden. 

"If you ask CIA it was ISI which gave the initial location through the phone connection." It was not immediately clear what Khan was referring to and he did not provide more detail. 

(With input from Reuters, AFP)

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