New Delhi: Weeks ahead of talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Argentina, US President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pakistan and said that the country doesn’t do “a damn thing” for the US. On Sunday, Trump defended US’ decision to withdraw the financial aid to Pakistan. In the month of September US had announced that cancellation of $300 million aid to the country over what it called Islamabad's failure to take action against militant groups.
Defending the action, Trump said on Sunday that the US gave Pakistan USD 1.3 billion every year in return for nothing. He slammed Pakistan’s military saying that Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden hid in Pakistan next to the military academy and everybody knew he was there.
In an interview to Fox News, he referred to Laden and his former compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and said ,"You know, living, think of this living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don't know, I've seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there," he added.
Then he added: “ And we give Pakistan USD 1.3 billion a year. ... (Laden] lived in Pakistan, we're supporting Pakistan, we're giving them USD 1.3 billion a year - which we don't give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don't do anything for us, they don't do a damn thing for us.”
The compound where Laden was in hiding was demolished shortly after the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group forces, in a daring helicopter raid, killed Laden there in 2011.
The US –Pakistan ties became tense after Trump hit out at the country for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists. Trump said this while announcing his Afghanistan and South Asia policy in August last year.
Trump also said that he has plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan to meet American troops stationed there.
"Well, I think you will see that happen. There are things that are being planned. We don't want to talk about it because of - obviously because of security reasons and everything else," he said.
Trump hits out at Pakistan, says 'they don't do a damn thing for US'
ABP News Bureau
Updated at:
19 Nov 2018 08:32 AM (IST)
He slammed Pakistan’s military saying that Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden hid in Pakistan next to the military academy and everybody knew he was there.
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