President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Oval Office at the White House on July 22, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
'An Insult to All Afghans': Kabul Outraged After Trump Floats Plan to Kill Millions, Wipe Afghanistan Off Face of the Earth
The U.S. president said he has not acted on the plan because he doesn't "want to kill 10 million people"
Kabul reacted with outrage and demanded clarification Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has military plans that could wipe Afghanistan "off the face of the Earth," killing millions of people.
Following Trump's remarks, the office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that Afghanistan "will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate."
"While the Afghan government supports the U.S. efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan," the statement read, "the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan's fate in absence of the Afghan leadership."
Trump's comments came during a meeting in the Oval Office Monday with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"We're not fighting a war," Trump said of the U.S.-led conflict that has lasted nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history. "If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people."
"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone," the president added. "It would be over in, literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do that--I don't want to go that route."
Watch:
The Afghan public expressed revulsion at Trump's remarks, which came as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalizad arrived in the Middle East for talks with the Taliban.
Shakib Noori, an entrepreneur based in Kabul, told Reuters that Trump's comments were "embarrassing and an insult to all Afghans."
Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini expressed a similar sentiment, calling Trump's statement "reckless" and "appalling."
Rahmatullah Nabil, former Afghan intelligence chief and presidential candidate, slammed Trump on Twitter.
"Your insulting message to [Afghanistan]," Nabil wrote, "is either accept the [Pakistan] proposal for peace or eventually you may have to use nukes."
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Kabul reacted with outrage and demanded clarification Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has military plans that could wipe Afghanistan "off the face of the Earth," killing millions of people.
Following Trump's remarks, the office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that Afghanistan "will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate."
"While the Afghan government supports the U.S. efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan," the statement read, "the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan's fate in absence of the Afghan leadership."
Trump's comments came during a meeting in the Oval Office Monday with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"We're not fighting a war," Trump said of the U.S.-led conflict that has lasted nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history. "If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people."
"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone," the president added. "It would be over in, literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do that--I don't want to go that route."
Watch:
The Afghan public expressed revulsion at Trump's remarks, which came as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalizad arrived in the Middle East for talks with the Taliban.
Shakib Noori, an entrepreneur based in Kabul, told Reuters that Trump's comments were "embarrassing and an insult to all Afghans."
Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini expressed a similar sentiment, calling Trump's statement "reckless" and "appalling."
Rahmatullah Nabil, former Afghan intelligence chief and presidential candidate, slammed Trump on Twitter.
"Your insulting message to [Afghanistan]," Nabil wrote, "is either accept the [Pakistan] proposal for peace or eventually you may have to use nukes."
Kabul reacted with outrage and demanded clarification Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has military plans that could wipe Afghanistan "off the face of the Earth," killing millions of people.
Following Trump's remarks, the office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that Afghanistan "will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate."
"While the Afghan government supports the U.S. efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan," the statement read, "the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan's fate in absence of the Afghan leadership."
Trump's comments came during a meeting in the Oval Office Monday with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"We're not fighting a war," Trump said of the U.S.-led conflict that has lasted nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history. "If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people."
"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone," the president added. "It would be over in, literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do that--I don't want to go that route."
Watch:
The Afghan public expressed revulsion at Trump's remarks, which came as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalizad arrived in the Middle East for talks with the Taliban.
Shakib Noori, an entrepreneur based in Kabul, told Reuters that Trump's comments were "embarrassing and an insult to all Afghans."
Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini expressed a similar sentiment, calling Trump's statement "reckless" and "appalling."
Rahmatullah Nabil, former Afghan intelligence chief and presidential candidate, slammed Trump on Twitter.
"Your insulting message to [Afghanistan]," Nabil wrote, "is either accept the [Pakistan] proposal for peace or eventually you may have to use nukes."