Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has lashed out at Pakistan saying that the country has done nothing for the US even though the latter has supported it with aid worth millions of dollars until now.
Trump was defending his administration's decision to stop the military aid to Pakistan and told Fox News that Pakistan does not do "a damn thing" for the US and instead helped Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden hide in Abbottabad.
"You know, living - think of this - living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don't know, I've seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there," Trump said.
"And we give Pakistan USD 1.3 billion a year. ... (Laden] lived in Pakistan, we're supporting Pakistan, we're giving them USD 1.3 billion a year -- which we don't give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don't do anything for us, they don't do a damn thing for us," he added.
Laden, who came on the US radar for his role in the 9/11 attacks, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, by the United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group.
The US has consistently demanded that Pakistan raises its efforts to eliminate terror outfits from its soil, due to which relations between the two nations have also soured in the last several months. In 2017, Trump had lashed out at the nation for harbouring terrorists, warning that Islamabad will face consequences if it continues to ignore the US' demands.
The US had in 2017 also warned that it may not provide the $255 million military aid to Pakistan until the country takes any action against terrorists and in September this year, the Trump administration cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for not doing enough against terror groups active on its soil.
During the interview, Trump also said that retired Adm. William H. McRaven, who oversaw the 2011 operation that killed Laden, should have found the terrorists faster. "Wouldn't it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn't it have been nice?" the president said.
He added that he plans to visit American troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, something he hasn't done since assuming office and has often been criticised by his opponents for the same. "Well, I think you will see that happen. There are things that are being planned. We don't want to talk about it because of -- obviously because of security reasons and everything else," he said.
