Donald Trump has asked for Pakistan’s help in ending war in Afghanistan, suggesting a shift in tone away from harsh rhetoric
- US officials have long been pushing Pakistan to lean on Taliban leaders, who Washington says are based inside Pakistan, to bring them to the negotiating table
- Pakistan and the US have a complicated relationship, bound by Washington’s dependence on Pakistan to supply its troops but plagued by accusations Islamabad plays a double game
Pakistan said on Monday that US President Donald Trump has sought its help with faltering Afghan peace talks, part of intensifying efforts by Trump to end one of America’s longest wars.
Trump, in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, asked for Pakistan’s “support and facilitation” in negotiating an end to the war and offered to renew the strained relationship, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
The overture to Khan represents a sea change from Trump’s normally harsh rhetoric towards Pakistan, and will add to growing speculation that the United States is planning to pull out of Afghanistan in the near future.
The US president wants to bring to a close the 17-year-old conflict between Afghan security forces and the Taliban, who are fighting to drive out international forces and re-establish their version of strict Islamic law after their 2001 overthrow.
A White House official confirmed that Trump had sent a letter to Khan and US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the war in Afghanistan had gone on for long enough.