India to US: Won’t send soldiers to Afghanistan
Without naming Pak, US reiterates zero tolerance for terror havens
NEW DELHI: India will not send troops to war-torn Afghanistan, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after a meeting with her visiting American counterpart on Tuesday, but pledged to help the troubled country build infrastructure and stamp out terrorist safe havens.
The announcement clears the government’s stand in the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s speech this August when he, outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, urged India to assist efforts to restore security in the country.
“There shall not be boots from India on the ground in Afghanistan,” Sitharaman said at a joint media briefing with US defence secretary James Mattis, the first high-ranking cabinet official in the Trump administration to visit India.
Mattis also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the progress of deals signed and decisions taken during his June visit to the US. They discussed bilatman eral cooperation toward peace, stability and combating terrorism. The Prime Minister recalled his wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions with President Trump.
New Delhi vowed to continue efforts to build Afghanistan’s infrastructure such as dams, schools, hospitals, roads and any institution the country requires.
India has contributed around $3 billion towards building highways, power transmission lines, dams, and a new parliament as well as to aid public health and education in Afghanistan.
“We are also at the moment training their officials in good governance... India’s contribution has been there and we shall expand if necessary,” Sithara- said, underscoring New Delhi’s counterterrorism drill for Afghan soldiers.
India’s refusal to involve its military in Afghanistan is viewed as a diplomatic strategy for maintaining fragile peace with arch-rival Pakistan.
Islamabad has long vied with New Delhi for influence in Afghanistan and it sees India’s humanitarian work as one-upmanship. It also accuses India of trying to use the war-ravaged country as a base for anti-Pakistan activities.
But Trump accused Pakistan, saying it offered safe haven to “agents of chaos”. His administration stepped up pressure on Islamabad for more action against militant groups operating from its soil that are blamed for attacks in India and Afghanistan.
Mattis did not name Pakistan but said India and the US would work together to fight terrorism.
“There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens,” he said. “As global leaders, India and the United States resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.”