Trump Says Again:
U.S. Can 'Win' Afghan War, Killing 10 Million
WASHINGTON (Press TV) – U.S. President Donald Trump has once again boasted that he could "win” the Afghanistan war "in a week" without using nuclear weapons, further insisting that the effort "would have to” involve killing 10 million Afghans.
"As I’ve said, and I’ll say it any number of times – and this is not using nuclear – we could win that war in a week if we wanted to fight it, but I’m not looking to kill 10 million people,” Trump reiterated while speaking to reporters in the White House during a meeting with his Romanian counterpart.
"I’m not looking to kill 10 million Afghans, because that’s what would have to happen, and I’m not looking to do that,” added the hawkish American president, without elaborating on how he would accomplish the swift conclusion of the US military’s 18-year war on Afghanistan.
U.S.-led forces invaded war-ravaged Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called ‘war on terror’ campaign to purportedly rid the country from terrorism – then led by Saudi-linked al-Qaeda terror group and the rule of allied Taliban militants.
However, since the massive U.S.-led occupation of the country, Taliban-led terrorism and narcotics trade has drastically expanded across Afghanistan with American military commanders there admitting that the Taliban militants remain in control of most of the country, leading Washington to initiate "peace” negotiations with the notorious militant group years ago – which remains ongoing amid U.S. claims that Taliban has pledged to rid Afghanistan from terrorism, prevent other terror groups from using the nation as a base to attack U.S. interests, and even commit to women rights, despite its track record of brutal treatment of the country’s female population and fiercely opposing their pursuit of education.
Trump’s latest remarks followed similar unprecedented claims he made last month when he also insisted that he could end the Afghan war "in a week," drawing speculation on how he would go about such a plan.
"I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people,” Trump emphasized while hosting Pakistani President Imran Khan in Washington during a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister on July 22, adding: "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.”
The appalling remarks left many wondering whether the American president was contemplating the use of nuclear weapons against Afghanistan, as Afghans expressed alarm and fury over the assertions with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani seeking "clarification” on Trump’s comments through diplomatic channels.
This is while Trump also underlined during his Tuesday remarks that it’s "ridiculous” that the US has remained in Afghanistan for 18 years, repeating his belief that American troops are acting as a "police force” there.
He further added that Afghanistan is a "dangerous place” and indicated he is open to maintaining a residual force there, noting that the country "does seem to be the Harvard University of terrorism.”
"It’s a dangerous place and we have to always keep an eye on it,” Trump also asserted. "We are bringing some of our troops back, but we have to have a presence.”
"We’ll always have intelligence, and we’ll always have somebody there,” he then vowed.
Afghan security personnel investigate at the site of a bomb explosion in front of Kabul University, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 19, 2019. Some 18 years after a U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, the country continues to be infested by violence.
"As I’ve said, and I’ll say it any number of times – and this is not using nuclear – we could win that war in a week if we wanted to fight it, but I’m not looking to kill 10 million people,” Trump reiterated while speaking to reporters in the White House during a meeting with his Romanian counterpart.
"I’m not looking to kill 10 million Afghans, because that’s what would have to happen, and I’m not looking to do that,” added the hawkish American president, without elaborating on how he would accomplish the swift conclusion of the US military’s 18-year war on Afghanistan.
U.S.-led forces invaded war-ravaged Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called ‘war on terror’ campaign to purportedly rid the country from terrorism – then led by Saudi-linked al-Qaeda terror group and the rule of allied Taliban militants.
However, since the massive U.S.-led occupation of the country, Taliban-led terrorism and narcotics trade has drastically expanded across Afghanistan with American military commanders there admitting that the Taliban militants remain in control of most of the country, leading Washington to initiate "peace” negotiations with the notorious militant group years ago – which remains ongoing amid U.S. claims that Taliban has pledged to rid Afghanistan from terrorism, prevent other terror groups from using the nation as a base to attack U.S. interests, and even commit to women rights, despite its track record of brutal treatment of the country’s female population and fiercely opposing their pursuit of education.
Trump’s latest remarks followed similar unprecedented claims he made last month when he also insisted that he could end the Afghan war "in a week," drawing speculation on how he would go about such a plan.
"I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people,” Trump emphasized while hosting Pakistani President Imran Khan in Washington during a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister on July 22, adding: "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.”
The appalling remarks left many wondering whether the American president was contemplating the use of nuclear weapons against Afghanistan, as Afghans expressed alarm and fury over the assertions with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani seeking "clarification” on Trump’s comments through diplomatic channels.
This is while Trump also underlined during his Tuesday remarks that it’s "ridiculous” that the US has remained in Afghanistan for 18 years, repeating his belief that American troops are acting as a "police force” there.
He further added that Afghanistan is a "dangerous place” and indicated he is open to maintaining a residual force there, noting that the country "does seem to be the Harvard University of terrorism.”
"It’s a dangerous place and we have to always keep an eye on it,” Trump also asserted. "We are bringing some of our troops back, but we have to have a presence.”
"We’ll always have intelligence, and we’ll always have somebody there,” he then vowed.
Afghan security personnel investigate at the site of a bomb explosion in front of Kabul University, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 19, 2019. Some 18 years after a U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, the country continues to be infested by violence.