Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday bragged that he could win the war in Afghanistan “in a week” but insisted he would rather work with regional partners to “extricate” U.S. troops and bring the nearly two-decade-long Middle East military conflict to an end.

“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,” Trump told reporters in a joint media appearance with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Oval Office

“I have plans on Afghanistan that if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth,” the president said adding,"It would be gone. It would be over in — literally in ten days. And I don't want to do that. I don't want to go that route."

"We’ve been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years. It’s ridiculous,” he said.


Khan, who is on a three-day official visit to the US, said the Taliban should become a part of the political process.

"So then you would have a government which will represent the people of Afghanistan," he said, adding that the negotiations with the Taliban have been the most productive so far,” he told Fox News.

"We wanted to actually reset our relationship based on understanding that we are all on the same page. We want peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan will do everything to help the Taliban come on the dialogue table so that there is peace. I think we struck that understanding today," he added.