The Trump Administration will “firmly” decide the role of Pakistan in Afghanistan so the country needs to hear NATO’s demand and rein in terror groups, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday.
Mattis said US President Donald Trump’s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia has been welcomed almost uniformly by leaders in the region as well as the 39 countries contributing troops to the NATO-led campaign. Trump, while announcing the new strategy for Afghanistan, had criticised Pakistan for providing safe havens to terror outfits.
“We will firmly address Pakistan’s role. NATO’s demands need to be heard and embraced in Islamabad,” Mattis said in his appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on South Asia.