Trump shifts U.S. ambassador from Turkey to Afghanistan

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 21 (ANI): President Donald Trump has nominated John Bass, who is currently serving as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, as his envoy to Afghanistan. This announcement comes just as President Trump is about to unveil his policy for the war-ravaged country where the U.S. has been fighting since 2001.Top Defence officials also briefed Trump at the Pentagon on the ongoing fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bass,who has been a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is also served as the ambassador to Georgia from 2009 to 2012. Bass has spent much of the past decade supporting federal government efforts to mobilize allies and marshal resources to combat terrorism and instability in Iraq, Syria, and Southwest Asia," the White House said. In May, Bass was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey said, for what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" following a clash between U.S. security personnel and Turkish bodyguards in Washington during a visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tolo News reported. Bass was given a "written and verbal protest" for the treatment of two security officers for being "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices."(ANI)