An Indian government official told Sputnik that India and Afghanistan have discussed at length the impact of a possible US pullout and ways of enhancing bilateral security co-operation, including the supply of military equipment.
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"Held productive meetings in India with my counterpart NSA Ajit Doval and other security officials on regional stability, the democratic progress and ongoing peace efforts in Afghanistan, and bilateral security cooperation," Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan's national security adviser, tweeted after the meeting.
Held productive meetings in India with my counterpart NSA Ajit Doval and other security officials on regional stability, the democratic progress and ongoing peace efforts in Afghanistan, and bilateral security cooperation. pic.twitter.com/KfuDi47GIo
— Hamdullah Mohib (@hmohib) January 4, 2019
"India does not send its armed forces abroad except under the specific mandate of UN peacekeeping operations," the official added.
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India has so far committed over $3 billion in aid and assistance to Afghanistan, taking up several infrastructure and humanitarian projects. The Zaranj-Delaram road, a high school in Kabul, the Salma dam and a 220KV DC transmission line are among several ongoing Indian projects in the country.
New Delhi has also invested in bilateral and trilateral capacity building programs with the training of more than 3,500 diplomats and security personnel, while granting scholarships to 1,000 Afghan students each year
