India Afghanistan’s ‘most reliable’ partner: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: Pentagon says the US welcomes additional support by the Indian government to Afghanistan, noting the country’s contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In its latest report “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan”, Pentagon called India as Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region. The report adds that this assistance includes civil development projects such as the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam and the Afghan parliament building.

According to Pentagon, India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden sharing for Afghanistan.

Approximately, 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military academy and commissioning programs.

India has also donated limited security assistance, most notably four Mi-35 aircraft, the report said, adding that the new South Asia policy highlighted our relationship with India and called on India to provide more assistance to the international efforts in Afghanistan.

“The United States welcomes additional Indian economic, medical, and civic support to Afghanistan,” the report concludes.