ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will solve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis “very quickly,” as peace talks between the warring neighbors entered a second day, reports BritPanorama.
The two countries are embroiled in a bitter security dispute, with each side claiming to respond to aggression from the other during clashes earlier this month.
These recent hostilities, the deadliest in years, have strained relations further and caused concern in a region where extremist groups like Al Qaeda are attempting to regain strength.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of facilitating militant cross-border attacks, a charge that the Taliban-led government in Kabul vehemently denies.
The ongoing talks in Istanbul began on Saturday, aiming to convert a fragile ceasefire reached earlier this month in Doha into a more enduring framework for peace and border security.
<p“I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up,” Trump stated on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. “But I’ll get that solved very quickly.”
His comments came during the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, where he also praised Pakistani leaders as “great people.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army reported on Sunday having killed 25 militants while “repelling two major infiltration attempts” along the border, despite the ongoing talks in Istanbul. The military also noted the deaths of five Pakistani soldiers in the violence.
The veracity of these casualty figures remains unverified, as the area is remote and inaccessible to media.
Earlier clashes resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries in Afghanistan, although Pakistan refutes allegations of civilian attacks, asserting its focus on militant targets.
Taliban-controlled media reported that after a lengthy meeting, the Afghan delegation submitted a draft demanding Pakistan respect Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and refrain from permitting any anti-Afghan elements to operate from its territory.
Additionally, expressions of readiness to establish a “four-way channel to monitor the ceasefire agreement” and facilitate information exchange regarding violations were reported.
Pakistan representatives submitted a second draft to the Afghan side on Saturday evening, according to the same source.
There was no immediate response from the Pakistani government. However, Trump’s remarks may bolster the political and military leadership in Pakistan, keen on nurturing closer ties with the U.S.
Pakistan has also previously commended Trump for his efforts in de-escalating a crisis with India earlier this year.
The violence in Pakistan’s border regions has persisted since 1979, when it became a key player in the U.S.-backed operation against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
