There has been no positive response from Pakistan on the South Asia strategy of Trump administration, which has a significant impact on the reduction of violence and capabilities of the terrorists in this war-torn country, a top Afghan official said today.

Speaking at the United States Institute of Peace, President Ashraf Ghani’s National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar on Thursday said some countries in the region have ties with the Taliban and that this will harm regional consensus on fighting terror.

Afghanistan’s national security adviser said Thursday in Washington that the number of foreign fighters flocking to Afghanistan is increasing — an alarming trend that could portend continued U.S. involvement in the war.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan cautioned that as the physical caliphate has mostly gone down in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has fanned out to other countries.

The US State Department sees the private sector as an ever-important part of the rebuilding and reconstruction processes in Iraq and Syria.

Kennesaw State University’s new School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development is to offer a master’s degree in conflict management, a dual master’s degree in conflict and business administration, and a doctorate in international conflict management.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, charged with holding a troubled State Department together until CIA Director Mike Pompeo can take over, offered a sober plea to diplomats Thursday to stay “inspired” at a moment of transition and uncertainty in the Trump administration.

Top Afghan officials see a genuine chance for peace with elements of the Taliban and the Haqqani network but worry the latest effort at reconciliation could be undermined, both by internal rivals and by Pakistan and other foreign influences.