US Prez Trump rules out hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan; seeks enhanced role for India

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America’s longest war, as he warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, laid out his South Asia policy saying a “critical part” of it was to further develop US’ strategic partnership with India.

He said after a “comprehensive review”, it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.
Trump said his instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan but following months of discussion, he concluded that “the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable” and would leave a vacuum that terrorists would instantly fill.

“A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I’ve said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations,” Trump said in his 26-minute speech.
“We will not talk about numbers of troops or …read more