US President Donald Trump also praised Turkey's role in efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza, describing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “fantastic” and emphasizing Ankara’s influence in the region.
ISTANBUL — US President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday to solve the latest escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, claiming that he is good at solving wars.
“This will be my eighth war that I’ve solved, and I hear there’s a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while en route to Israel.
“I said I’ll have to wait till I get back. I’m doing another one. Because I’m good at solving wars, I’m good at making peace, and it’s an honour to do it. I saved millions of lives, millions of lives,” he added.
Dozens of soldiers were killed in overnight clashes between Pakistani and Afghan troops, some of the deadliest between the two sides since the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan in 2021, the two sides confirmed on Sunday.
The latest escalation came after Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration claimed that the Pakistani military violated the country’s airspace and bombed a market in the Margha region of Paktika province bordering Pakistan on Thursday night.
Trump lands in Tel Aviv
Trump landed in Tel Aviv on Monday, according to Israel’s Government Press Office, where he is expected to meet with families of Israeli captives and address the Knesset, or parliament.
The US president was welcomed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his spouse Michal Herzog, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his spouse Sara Netanyahu at the Ben Gurion Airport, according to the office.
He will later head to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he will join world leaders at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit.
The summit, co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” according to Cairo.
Trump Praises Turkey’s Role in Gaza Ceasefire
Donald Trump on Sunday praised Turkey’s role in efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza, describing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “fantastic” and emphasising Ankara’s influence in the region.
“Turkey was fantastic too. President Erdogan was fantastic. He really helped a lot, because he’s very respected. He’s got a very powerful nation. He’s got a very, very powerful military. And he helped a lot,” Trump told reporters en route to the Middle East ahead of an international peace conference on the Gaza ceasefire.
He also said that Qatar helped with the deal, calling Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani an “amazing man.”
“His country is right in the middle of everything, more so than any other country, more so than the UAE, where you have to fly an hour and a half to get there, more so than Saudi Arabia, where you have to fly an hour and a half to get there,” he said, adding that “Qatar should start getting some credit.”
The president also listed several other countries that, he said, played a role in the ceasefire negotiations, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Jordan. — Anadolu Agency
