Posted on 12/04/2009 6:47:56 PM PST by cold start
NEW DELHI: With US President Barack Obama spelling out his troop surge and eventual exit policy on Afghanistan, the US wants India to step up its ongoing efforts to train the fledgling Afghan army.
Washington, however, is not pressing for Indian soldiers to be deployed in the war-ravaged country as of now. "It's for the Indian government and military to decide (on troop deployment),'' visiting US Pacific Command chief Admiral Robert F Willard said on Friday.
"We have not sought any ground-level cooperation (military presence) from India. We are very happy with India's significant rebuilding role in Afghanistan,'' he said after meeting top officials here.
Earlier this week, Obama announced that the US would dispatch another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to "stabilise'' the situation there but, at the same time, vowed to begin the exit of American troops from the region by the summer of 2011.
Admiral Willard said the troop surge in the Af-Pak region would soon start since the US was interested in "succeeding in Afghanistan and stabilising Pakistan''. But Obama's statement should not be misinterpreted to mean that the subsequent troop withdrawal would begin even before a resolution of the problem was in sight.
While the volatile Af-Pak region has figured in top-level discussions between India and US, New Delhi remains publicly opposed to deploying troops in the embattled country despite serious strategic concerns.
"We think India is playing a responsible role in Afghanistan,'' said Admiral Willard, adding that it was for India to decide whether it needs to do more there.
"We have been talking to India about its assistance to Afghan people and humanitarian assistance, and its continuing support to see that Afghanistan stabilises,'' he added.
India has undertaken several development projects to rebuild Afghanistan as well as help in training the Afghan army. Around 100 Afghan defence personnel, for instance, are trained at different Indian military academies every year. India has also posted some of its Army officers in Afghanistan to teach basic military fieldcraft and English skills to the Afghan army.
The Hamid Karzai government, in fact, has sought "further capacity-building'' of its armed forces with India's assistance. For instance, Afghanistan is interested in some training programmes for its pilots and technicians of Mi-35 helicopter gunships.
The US, in turn, has asked India if it can send some Indian special forces instructors to train Afghan military personnel in counter-insurgency and commando operations.
Is Obama threatening Pakistan that if they don’t cooperate India will have troops on multiple sides of Pakistan?
Don’t forget that there are many Indian Muslims.
It is within the realm of possibility that the Indian force will be all Muslim
“the US wants India to step up its ongoing efforts to train the fledgling Afghan army.”
This is stupid. Why India? There’s a whole bunch of retired old guy American Marines and soldiers willing to train these guys. No problem...
WTH!!!
WILL WORK FOR C-RATS!! (Sans ham & lima beans. Keep the WWII canned biscuits, too! Just not my preference. (Burp! Belch!!!) thank you.)
Thats why, at the same time B.O. was partying with India, Hillarys group were smoozing Pakistan saying, "Oh, we don't really mean it."
For reasons of fear of treason, muslims in the Indian army are kept at less than 2%
Because, India has propped up the Northern Alliance since 1992
and has many allies among the Pushtuns, Tajiks and Uzbeks for the last 70 years
and Hindi is very close language to Pashtu and Farsi and Dari
and understands the tribal ramifications
In 1947, the Pashtun muslims did not want to join Pakistan and tried to join India and the cunning British manipulated their merger into Pakistan
Thanks for the history lesson, ShyamSunder.
I’m not in tune with that part of world.
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