Kabul seeks clarification on Trump talk of wiping out Afghanistan

[webfact]

Kabul seeks clarification on Trump talk of wiping out Afghanistan

By Hamid Shalizi

 

U.S. President Trump talks with reporters while meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Khan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan called on Tuesday for an explanation of comments by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said he could win the Afghan war in just 10 days by wiping out the country, but did not want "to kill 10 million people."

 

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

 

The remarks drew a stiff response from Afghanistan's presidential palace, which has been excluded from talks between the United States and the Taliban and which accuses Pakistan of supporting the insurgency.

 

"The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate," the presidential palace said.

 

"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 absence of the Afghan leadership," it said in a statement.

 

The Afghan government has called for clarification of Trump's statement.

 

In his comments in Washington on Monday, Trump said Pakistan was helping the United States "extricate" itself from Afghanistan, where the United States was acting as a "policeman" rather than fighting a war.

 

"If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people,"Trump told reporters at the White House where he was hosting Khan.

 

"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth. It would be gone," he said. "It would be over in - literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do - I don't want to go that route."

 

In a statement on Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had a longstanding policy of not commenting on military planning.

 

"We are committed to the South Asia Strategy and fully support the administration's efforts to achieve a political settlement that ends the war in Afghanistan," said Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

 

Senior Afghan politicians largely refrained from commenting, but the reaction on social media was swift.

 

"Your insulting message to (Afghanistan) is either accept the (Pakistani) proposal for peace or eventually you may have to use nukes," former intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil wrote on Twitter.

 

"The statement was embarrassing and an insult to all Afghans," said Shakib Noori, a Kabul-based entrepreneur.

 

Khaled Hosseini, the Afghan-American author of the best-selling novel, "The Kite Runner," which introduced Afghanistan to many foreign readers, called Trump's remarks "reckless, appalling."

 

Others said the government had no effect recourse, pointing to its dependence on billions of dollars of aid from the United States every year.

 

"Those who feed you also command you," one commenter, Yazdan Hatami, wrote on Facebook.

 

U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalizad, the veteran Afghan-American diplomat who has been leading negotiations with the Taliban, said the comment showed that only a political settlement made sense.

 

Trump "reiterated to the world that there is no reasonable military solution to the war in Afghanistan, and that peace must be achieved through a political settlement," he wrote on Twitter. "Pakistan committed to do all it can to achieve peace."

 

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel and G Crosse)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-24

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[Tug]

They aren’t the only ones we here in the USA would like to know what possessed Donald to make such a stupid reckless statement. 

[Phuketshrew]

 

[Thainesss]

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth. It would be gone," he said. "It would be over in - literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do - I don't want to go that route."

 

Its true though, and much like every other president and politician in the history of the United Staes, they have war plans drawn up for every outcome imaginable, up to and including turning entire countries into glass. 

 

Now, if people want to debate or attack the fact that he said that out loud, then thats another matter, and Id be inclined to agree with them. 

[Chomper Higgot]

Putting aside Trump’s dangerous misunderstanding that the US is not at war with ‘Afghanistan’ and that most of the insurgents the Americans are fighting are based beyond Afghanistan’s borders, somebody ought to explain to him there’s a reason why Afghanistan is referred to as the Graveyard of Empires.

[helpisgood]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said he could win the Afghan war in just 10 days by wiping out the country, but did not want "to kill 10 million people."

 

What's scary to me is Trump deciding that this needed to be said, as if everyone needed to know that "the leader of the free world" will not opt to kill ten million people.

 

I guess it's just careless bluster by someone whose skill set is better suited for a reality TV show than international diplomacy.

[pegman]

36 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

 

What's scary to me is Trump deciding that this needed to be said, as if everyone needed to know that "the leader of the free world" will not opt to kill ten million people.

 

I guess it's just careless bluster by someone whose skill set is better suited for a reality TV show than international diplomacy.

It sounded to me like he was trying to talk himself out of doing it.

[Chang_paarp]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people,"Trump told reporters at the White House where he was hosting Khan.

 

"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth. It would be gone," he said. "It would be over in - literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do - I don't want to go that route."

The narcissist needs a few history lessons.

This sounds like "bombing them back to the stone-age" . Which went so well for the US in that small incursion. 

The Russians would be laughing behind their encouraging messages to try this.

[Bluespunk]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

I could win that war in a week.

What, even with your bone spurs?

 

What a hero this trump is...

[soalbundy]

Clarification + Trump = Oxymoron

[bristolboy]

6 hours ago, Thainesss said:

 

Its true though, and much like every other president and politician in the history of the United Staes, they have war plans drawn up for every outcome imaginable, up to and including turning entire countries into glass. 

 

Now, if people want to debate or attack the fact that he said that out loud, then thats another matter, and Id be inclined to agree with them. 

It's only true if you're willing to use nuclear weapons. So that makes the fact that he said it out loud even worse. 

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

It's only true if you're willing to use nuclear weapons. So that makes the fact that he said it out loud even worse. 

I don't think he was referring to nuclear weapons, he simply has no idea what he is talking about.

[transam]

The bloke really has a screw loose.....

[OneMoreFarang]

Imagine if a senior politician from Afghanistan would say something like: We could send a couple of fighters into the USA and blow up their cities.

I am sure that would be front page news everywhere. And obviously everybody would condemn those hateful people.

 

But if Trump talks about killing 10 million people that is business as usual. What a f#%$# up president - and millions still support him.

[Dumbastheycome]

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Putting aside Trump’s dangerous misunderstanding that the US is not at war with ‘Afghanistan’ and that most of the insurgents the Americans are fighting are based beyond Afghanistan’s borders, somebody ought to explain to him there’s a reason why Afghanistan is referred to as the Graveyard of Empires.

The US is not at war anywhere 

The last instance of it declaring war was when it became an ally in WW2.

Since then has simply become a self imposed invader .

Trump is desperate in his attempt to appeal to his dwindling red neck backers. So sad to witness the US abandon the perpetuated illusion of ethical superiority due to this individual. 

 

[JHolmesJr]

Sadly, the Pakistani PM is not in charge of the country....his army and intelligence wing are.

And they are on the side of the Taliban so far. The Donald need to <deleted> of there and leave them

to sort it out. 

[bristolboy]

22 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I don't think he was referring to nuclear weapons, he simply has no idea what he is talking about.

If he wasn't then it's just another falsehood from him.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, JHolmesJr said:

Sadly, the Pakistani PM is not in charge of the country....his army and intelligence wing are.

And they are on the side of the Taliban so far. The Donald need to <deleted> of there and leave them

to sort it out. 

And what does that have to do with Trump making stupid and antagonizing comments for no good reason?

[JHolmesJr]

6 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

And what does that have to do with Trump making stupid and antagonizing comments for no good reason?

 

Im making a point about the situation there that rises far above your petty umbrage at Donal trump.

Get over it!

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Im making a point about the situation there that rises far above your petty umbrage at Donal trump.

Get over it!

Yes I'm sure you have many many important things to say on many topics. Just nothing on this one.

[Chomper Higgot]

13 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Sadly, the Pakistani PM is not in charge of the country....his army and intelligence wing are.

And they are on the side of the Taliban so far. The Donald need to GTFO of there and leave them

to sort it out. 

You do understand why the US went to Afghanistan in the first place, right?!

[JHolmesJr]

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

You do understand why the US went to Afghanistan in the first place, right?!

Fully aware....but they've done what they could....trained the security forces etc

Now it's time to cut the umbilical cord. If they misbehave again, send in the drones.

[bristolboy]

10 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Im making a point about the situation there that rises far above your petty umbrage at Donal trump.

Get over it!

Actually what you're trying to do and to judge by a post above, have done, is to turn the topic away from Trump's cluelessness and towards a discussion of US policy in Afghanistan.

[soalbundy]

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You do understand why the US went to Afghanistan in the first place, right?!

To rebuild the infrastructure they smashed up looking for one man ?

[metisdead]

A post containing an off topic trolling meme has been reported and removed. 

[JulesMad]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

he said he could win the Afghan war in just 10 days by wiping out the country, but did not want "to kill 10 million people."

Thank you so much for not killing 10,000,000 people!
This is nothing else than a threat to any country...

Most countries can be wiped out in 10 days, but also most countries react very strongly on being 'wiped out' (by anyone). So the most likely result would be that trumpy and the rest of usa will be wiped out as well... (som man na!)

Where does this sorry excuse of a human gets his ideas?!? Disgusting!!!

[PattayaPhil]

6 hours ago, bristolboy said:

And what does that have to do with Trump making stupid and antagonizing comments for no good reason?

The comments were neither stupid nor antagonizing. The US nuclear arsenal could indeed end the Afghan war in less than a week because if fully unleashed, it could effectively end Afghanistan. But Trump doesn't want to do that because he believes it immoral. To the contrary, he wants to work out a deal and pull the US out of Afghanistan altogether (unlike the majority of the US and EU Foreign Policy Establishment who want America to stay forever).

 

Pakistani PM says, "Thank God for President Trump". Seems like the people with actual skin in the game understand what Trump is trying to do just fine. https://thehill.com/policy/international/454365-pakistan-pm-without-trump-conflict-in-afghanistan-could-have-continued

[bendejo]

15 hours ago, helpisgood said:

 

What's scary to me is Trump deciding that this needed to be said, as if everyone needed to know that "the leader of the free world" will not opt to kill ten million people.

 

I guess it's just careless bluster by someone whose skill set is better suited for a reality TV show than international diplomacy.

It's him aping his buddy Putin: "I could have killed them but I didn't, see what a nice guy I am?"

 

There's a joke that I first heard in the 1990s:

Q: what is the most dangerous place in the world?

A: the space between DT and a camera lens

 

 

[car720]

Why am I reminded of the Mouse that Roared?

[marcusarelus]

Just now, car720 said:

Why am I reminded of the Mouse that Roared?

Because you like old movies.