Trump Seeks Exit from US Military Effort in Afghanistan: 'It's Ridiculous'

After nearly two decades, the war in Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. 

During an Oval Office meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, President Trump said he is working with Pakistan and other countries to pull America out of Afghanistan. 

The war started under President George W. Bush after the US pursued Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his Taliban supporters after the September 11 attacks.

Trump commended Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and is seeking his help to negotiate a peace treaty in nearby Afghanistan.

"There is tremendous potential between our country and Pakistan and I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves," Trump said.

"We're not fighting a war. If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people. Does that make sense to you? I don't want to kill 10 million people," Trump said.

"I have plans on Afghanistan that if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth, it would be gone. It would be over in, literally in 10 days, and I don't want to go that route," he added.

Prime Minister Khan agreed with President Trump that the war in Afghanistan must end through peace talks.

The US has lost 12 service members in Afghanistan this year. Since January 2015, 72 US troops have died in the country and 53 of those deaths were under hostile conditions, according to Military.com.

Trump added, "We are working with Pakistan and others to extricate ourselves, nor do we want to be policemen, because basically we are policemen right now and we're not supposed to be policemen. We've been in Afghanistan for 19 years and it's ridiculous." 

The president also said the US does not want to act as the policeman in Afghanistan.