Trump asks Pakistan PM for help with Afghan peace talks

Trump, in a letter to new 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 toward Pakistan, and will add to growing speculation that the United States is planning to pull out of Afghanistan in the near future.

The U.S. 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 reestablish their version of strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster.

A White House official confirmed that Trump had sent a letter to Khan and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the war in Afghanistan had gone on for long enough.

“We are looking for every responsible nation to support peace in the subcontinent and across this war in Afghanistan,” Mattis told reporters before the start of his meeting with his Indian counterpart.

“It is time for everyone to get on board,” Mattis said.

U.S. 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.

“He has asked for Pakistan’s cooperation to bring the Taliban into talks,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters.

Trump told Khan the Pakistan relationship was very important to the United States and to finding a solution to the Afghanistan conflict, Chaudhry added. - Read More
Trump asks Pakistan PM for help with Afghan peace talks