TIL Desk/World/Washington/ US President Donald Trump is closely monitoring the progress in his new South Asia Strategy, which gives a major role to India, and is very much engaged in its implementation, a senior administration official has said.
Trump had sought a major role for India in bringing peace in Afghanistan and ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from the war-torn nation while announcing his new Afghanistan and South Asia policy in August.
“The president has been very closely monitoring the progress of the South Asia strategy. He’s very interested in any progress that has been made,” a senior administration official told.
Trump had a meeting with his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis before he left on his visit to Pakistan. The defense Secretary is again likely to brief the president on his return.On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Session in New York in September, Trump met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
“That was a good opportunity to hear from President Ghani on how the strategy was being received in Afghanistan,” the official said.
