

The Taliban refuses to engage in peace talks with Afghan interlocutors until it concludes an agreement with Washington that would outline a timetable for withdrawal of all American troops. The months-long U.S.-Taliban dialogue has brought the two adversaries in the 18-year-old Afghan war close to concluding a peace agreement to pave the ground for ending what has become the longest U.S. Pakistan has arranged Washington’s direct peace negotiations with Taliban insurgents who are fighting local and U.S.-led international troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials are hoping Khan and Trump will personally bond and help repair the relationship between Islamabad and Washington.īoth Khan, who was a cricket star, and Trump, a real estate developer, are wealthy populists who used their fame to win election to the top political jobs in their respective countries. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 22, 2019, in Washington. military force to resolve the conflict even before he came to power after last year’s elections in Pakistan. Khan had long campaigned against the use of U.S. Khan requested the meeting with Trump to stress the need for a political solution to the protracted war in Afghanistan. "We’ve been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years. Trump explained that the United States is not supposed to the world's policeman. The president warned that Afghanistan “would be wiped off the face of the Earth. I just don't want to kill 10 million people." 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. “We desperately want peace,” declared Khan. 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. In the coming days, Khan added, there are hopes of getting “the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government.” There’s no military solution in Afghanistan.” The Pakistani prime minister declared “this is the closest we’ve been to a peace deal in Afghanistan. “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. President Donald Trump said alongside Pakistani Prime Imran Khan in the Oval Office on Monday. WHITE HOUSE - The United States and Pakistan are jointly seeking a way to end the war in Afghanistan, U.S. This story was updated on July 22 at 2:25 pmĪyaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report.
