US envoy briefs Pakistan army chief on Trump’s Afghan plans

By

The Associated Press

In this photo released by Inter Services Public Relations, the public relations arm of the Pakistani army, newly appointed Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa attends the Change of Command ceremony in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)

ISLAMABAD — The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan has met with that country’s army chief two days after President Donald Trump warned Pakistan to stop harboring insurgents who are battling U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s military said Ambassador David Hale briefed Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Trump’s new Afghan war strategy. The U.S. president announced the new strategy late Monday but provided few details about how he plans to win America’s longest war, which began nearly 16 years ago.

The military statement quoted Bajwa as saying Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials and analysts have long said Pakistan tolerates the presence of the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which are leading the insurgency against Afghan and U.S. forces.