ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtracking from his promise to rapidly end America´s longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos."
Trump in his new Afghan policy sought Indian help saying, “We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan.”
Colin Kahl
Commenting on new Afghan policy, Colin Kahl, Georgetown Professor and former Dep Asst to President Obama and National Security Advisor to Vice President, said “Trump wants Pakistan to crack down on terrorist havens. But encouraging India to do more in Afghanistan creates tensions here.”
He added more Indian influence may create additional incentives for Pakistan to keep ties to extremists in Afghanistan to balance New Delhi.
David Rothkopf
Scholar, writer and columnist at Washington Post, David Rothopf said called Trump’s new policy “A strategy without a strategy, a change without change, a commitment without a commitment, principled realism without principles or realism.”
Rothopf added “Biggest change in speech (Donald Trump’s policy speech) is shift toward India and away from Pakistan complete with provocation of bringing India into Afghanistan.”
Rahimullah Yusufzai
Pakistan’s expert on Taliban affairs, Rahimullah Yusufzai said, “Donald Trump’s new Afghan policy speech is an open threat to Pakistan.”
Adil Najam
Pakistan’s Adil Najam said, “Islamabad should fully reciprocate to US President Donald Trump’s threat.”