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ISLAMABAD – U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday his intention to swiftly resolve the ongoing crisis between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This statement comes as peace negotiations between the two neighboring countries entered their second day.
The two nations have been locked in a tense security dispute, each accusing the other of initiating aggression during clashes that erupted earlier this month.
The recent skirmishes were the most intense in years, significantly straining diplomatic relations and raising concerns in a region where extremist groups like al-Qaida are attempting to regain a foothold.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militants to cross its border to carry out attacks, a claim that Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership denies.
The second round of discussions commenced in Istanbul on Saturday, with a focus on transforming a previously brokered ceasefire in Doha into a lasting agreement that ensures peace and strengthens border security.
“I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up,” said Trump on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. ”But I’ll get that solved very quickly.”
He made the comments while attending the signing of the Thailand–Cambodia peace agreement, adding that the leaders of Pakistan were “great people.”
Days of fighting killed dozens of people and injured hundreds in Afghanistan, although Pakistan denied attacking civilians and said it was targeting militants and their hideouts.
On Sunday, Taliban-controlled media RTA reported that, after 15 hours of “continuous discussions,” the Afghan side had submitted a draft focusing on Pakistan not violating Afghanistan’s territory and airspace and not allowing “any anti-Afghan group or opposition to use Pakistani territory against our country.”
There was also an expression of readiness to establish “a four-way channel to monitor the ceasefire agreement” and exchange information on violations, RTA reported.
The Pakistanis submitted a second draft to the Afghans on Saturday evening, according to RTA.
Nobody from the Pakistani government was immediately available for comment. But Trump’s remarks are likely to energize the country’s political and military leadership, which wants closer ties with the White House.
Pakistan has also praised Trump for his role in defusing a crisis earlier this year with India.
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Associated Press writers Sajjad Tarakzai contributed to this report from Islamabad and Abdul Qahar Afghan from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
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