WASHINGTON - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Friday said if elected he would keep the existing 10,000 troops in Afghanistan mainly because of a nuclear-armed Pakistan.
“I would stay in Afghanistan. It's probably the one place we should have gone in the Middle East because it's adjacent and right next to Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons,” Trump told Fox News in an interview.
In response to a query, he said the US had to stay in Afghanistan, where the Americans did not have much of a choice. Instead of going to Iraq, the US should have gone first to Afghanistan.
“I would say in Afghanistan and only, again, because of its location next to Pakistan,” he said, indicating he would keep the 10,000 troops there … I hate doing it, I hate doing it so much. But, again, you have nuclear weapons in Pakistan so I would do it,” Trump added. (Pajhwok)