Kabul resident Sibghatullah Kakar on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, criticizes President Donald Trump for saying he could end the war in Afghanistan by wiping the country off the face of the earth. "Statements like that can really harm this country," Kakar said. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government has called for clarification of remarks made by President Donald Trump that he could end the war in Afghanistan in a matter of days by wiping the country “off the face of the earth,” although he would not do so.
Trump’s comments in the Oval Office, ahead of a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, came amid growing concerns that the Kabul government is being sidelined in discussions of the country’s future.
“Given the multifaceted relationship between Afghanistan and the United States, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls for clarification on the U.S. president’s statements,” President Ashraf Ghani’s office said in a statement Tuesday.
“While the Afghan government supports the U.S. efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan, the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan’s fate in the absence of Afghan leadership,” the statement added.
Months of preliminary peace negotiations between American and Taliban officials aimed at ending the war have excluded the government, though the U.S. says Kabul’s eventual participation is mandatory.
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul Tuesday for talks with the Afghan government to map out next steps in the peace process, the State Department said. Khalilzad will also meet in Afghanistan with civil society representatives, including women’s rights groups, before traveling to Qatar to resume talks with the Taliban aimed at ending the United States’ longest war.
Trump on Monday described the U.S. military’s continued presence in Afghanistan as “ridiculous.”
Some 14,000 American troops are in the country training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism missions as the war continues into its 18th year.
“I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves,” Trump said, comparing U.S. forces in Afghanistan to policemen and saying he could win the war in a matter of days, but it would result in the deaths of 10 million people.
“I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth,” Trump said. “It would be gone. It would be over in — literally, in 10 days and I don’t want to go that route.”
The Trump administration instead is banking on a diplomatic solution that includes Afghanistan’s neighbors, particularly Pakistan, whose cooperation is seen as vital for lasting peace. The U.S. has said it would like Pakistan to use its leverage to get the Taliban to agree to a cease-fire.
Islamabad has long been accused of fomenting unrest in Afghanistan and providing the Taliban with sanctuary to orchestrate cross-border attacks. In January 2018, Trump cut off $1.3 billion in annual aid payments to Pakistan for not doing enough to combat terrorism. Islamabad has repeatedly rejected claims it is aiding the Taliban. Monday’s meeting between Trump and Khan, who was visiting the White House for the first time, suggested a thawing of relations.
“To be honest, I think we have a better relationship with Pakistan right now than we did when we were paying that money,” Trump said. “But all of that can come back, depending on what we work out.”
News of the meeting, especially of Trump’s comments, was avidly discussed by Kabul residents Tuesday.
Some called Trump’s comments irresponsible and worried the Taliban would use them in their propaganda to recruit more fighters.
“As the leader of the U.S., Trump should have used better words,” said Sibghatullah Kakar, 26. “Statements like that can really harm this country.”
Others said the U.S. president’s threat should not have been directed at Afghanistan, but at its neighbor, Pakistan.
“Trump should be telling Khan that Pakistan will be wiped off the earth if it keeps harboring terrorists, not that destroying Afghanistan is an option,” said Hakim Bashrat, 41.
“Afghans have been working side-by-side with Americans and other foreign troops for years to fight terrorism, and because of this, many Afghans, including myself, have been hurt by Trump’s words,” Bashrat said.
wellman.phillip@stripes.comTwitter: @pwwellman
Kabul resident Sibghatullah Kakar on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, criticizes President Donald Trump for saying he could end the war in Afghanistan by wiping the country off the face of the earth. "Statements like that can really harm this country," Kakar said. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Kabul grocer Esmatullah Musafir on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, said he was offended and saddened by remarks made by President Donald Trump that he could win the war by killing 10 million people and wiping Afghanistan off the map. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Hakim Bashrat, on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, reacts to controversial comments about ending the war in Afghanistan by wiping the country off the face of the earth with a reminder to the U.S. president that Afghan forces have been working with American troops for 17 years to fight terrorism. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
