US President Donald Trump, following his claim of ending eight wars, has now set his sights on mediating the issue of Pakistan-Afghanistan to resolve it within the first year of his second term. He made the remarks upon his return from Israel, where he was scheduled to monitor the release of hostages following the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Diplomatic tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen acutely as the two nations exchanged intense fire along their common border responding to Pakistani airstrikes in the Afghan capital Kabul. Afghanistan claimed that the forces killed fifty-eight Pakistani soldiers, while Pakistani officials asserted that its force had seized nearly nineteen Afghan border posts.
Addressing journalists prior to his departure, Trump said, "This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, "I'll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars."
Repeats previous peace assertions
Repeating his previous assertions of having brought peace to long-lasting international conflicts, Trump mentioned that he had "stopped eight wars." He added, "Think about India, Pakistan. Think about some of the wars that were going on for years. We had one going for 31, one going for 32, one going for 37 years, with millions of people being killed in every country and I got every one of those done, for the most part, within a day. It's pretty good."
He went on to say, "It's an honour to do it. I saved millions of lives. In all fairness to the Nobel Committee, it was for 2024. This (Nobel Peace Prize) was picked for 2024. But there are those who say you could make an exception because a lot of things happened during 2025 that are done and complete and great. But I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives.”
Nobel hopes dashed
Trump made the comments just moments after the Norwegian Nobel Committee presented the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 on Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict
Afghanistan Taliban forces killed fifty-eight Pakistani troops and have also attacked Pakistani security personnel, Afghan spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said to Associated Press. Meanwhile, Pakistan said it took over approximately nineteen Afghan positions. Significant border crossings between the two countries have been shut down as fighting continues to escalate.
