US President Donald Trump early on Tuesday morning announced his administration’s new strategy on Afghanistan and South Asia. “We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,” Trump said. “America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.” He added that their mission in Afghanistan will be to eliminate terrorists. “Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists,” he added. On Pakistan issue, Trump vowed to change the US’s approach to dealing with the Afghan neighbour, promising to crack down on Pakistan’s harbouring of terrorist and militant groups. “They are housing the very terrorists we are fighting,” Trump said, noting that the US gives Pakistan billions of dollars. “That will have to change and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country’s harbouring of terrorists.” Meanwhile, Trump asked India to do more in Afghanistan. “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, especially in the area of economic assistance and development,” Trump said. There are now about 8,400 US and 5,000 NATO troops supporting Afghanistan’s security forces in the fight against Taleban and other militants.
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