Eventually, India will have to fight Taliban in Afghanistan: US

Washington, August 22

Countries like India, Iran, Russia and Turkey would have to fight against terrorists in Afghanistan at some point of time, President Donald Trump has said, ruing that the job against the extremists is being done only by the United States some 7,000 miles away. Trump said on Wednesday that other nations currently are making very less efforts against the terrorists in Afghanistan. 

“At a certain point Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey they are going to have to fight their battles too. We wiped out the caliphate 100 per cent. I did it in record time but at a certain point all of these other countries where ISIS is around they have been decimated by the way, badly decimated,” Trump told reporters at the White House while responding to a question on the re-emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan. 

“All of these countries are going to have to fight them because do we want to stay there for another 19 years? I don’t think so,” he said. Trump’s comments came a day after he indicated that the US forces will not completely withdraw from the warn-torn Afghanistan and America will have “somebody there” to make sure that Taliban does not regain control. Trump said that the US was fighting the terrorists in Afghanistan despite being 7,000 miles away while India and Pakistan were not doing so even after being next door.   — PTI

‘2+2 talks with India’ 

Washington: The US and India will hold two key meetings this week, including an intersessional of the 2+2 Dialogue, to discuss ways to advance cooperation on critical diplomatic and security priorities and building on the shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region, on Thursday, the State Department said. “They will discuss ways to advance cooperation on critical diplomatic and security priorities,” it stated. PTI

Trump’s comment on defence spending invites Danish ex-PM’s ire 

Copenhagen: A former Danish prime minister on Thursday lashed out at US President Donald Trump for his tweet about military spending, saying defense willingness is not just about the amount of money spent. Lars Loekke Rasmussen’s comment is the latest in an escalating spat between the US and Denmark after Trump scrapped a visit to the country, saying current Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was “nasty” when she rejected his idea of buying Greenland as an absurdity. AP