The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani responded Tuesday to President Trump’s remark that he could end the war in Afghanistan “in a week,” asking for “clarification” about the statement “via diplomatic means and channels.”
Ghani’s office said that while Afghanistan “supports the U.S. efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan, the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan’s fate.”
The response came a day after Trump told reporters that he could win the war in Afghanistan “in a week,” but that doing so would cause millions of deaths.{mosads}
“I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people,” Trump told reporters Monday. “If I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth. … It would be over in — literally, in 10 days.”
Trump’s remarks came during a White House meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The president said he wanted Pakistan’s help to bring an end to the nearly 18-year conflict.
Ghani’s office said Tuesday that Afghanistan, which it described as “one of the most deep-rooted and ancient countries of the world,” has overcome a number of crises throughout its long history.
“The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate,” his office said.
Trump’s meeting with Khan aimed to deescalate tensions with Pakistan in order to push the country toward pressuring the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire with the Afghan government.
Trump said Pakistan could play a role in stabilizing Afghanistan after a possible U.S. pullout and suggested he could restore hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan “depending on what we work out.”
Updated at 10:10 a.m.