Trump, in a prime-time televised address at a military base near Washington, said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States. The Republican president, who has repeatedly criticised the Afghanistan strategies of his predecessors, now inherits the same challenges, including a resurgent Taliban and a weak government in Kabul. A US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Islamist Taliban government for harbouring al Qaeda militants who plotted the Sept 11 attacks. The Republican president overcame his own scepticism about the war that began in October 2001 after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States. Trump also said the United States wanted India to help more with Afghanistan, especially in the areas of economic assistance and development.

Source: bd News24 August 22, 2017 03:00 UTC