pakistani342
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Very interesting article on FirstPost here, excerpts below
1. It seems Afghanistan is back begging India for lethal weaponry.
2. It seems it is not open Afghans are calling Pakistan the enemy
3. Note: Stenkazai the acting Defense Minister was thought to be so pro-Pakistan that he has been called an ISI agent in Afghanistan.
.....
I learnt that Afghanistan’s government renewed the request for four Mi-35 attack helicopters recently. The attack on Kunduz made this need rather urgent. Weeks before the attack on Kunduz, chief of the Resolute Support Mission and US forces General John F Campbell visited India and told high-ranking officials in the Government of India that the US would welcome a decision by India to give Afghanistan the attack choppers.
This is being seen as a shift in US policy since during the UPA government, the US, in order to please Islamabad, had pressured New Delhi not to provide any lethal equipment to Afghans.
“Twenty provinces in Afghanistan need attack choppers, how are we to distribute these four?” asks Moradian and says India’s help is too-little-too-late, but to give is a better decision than holding out. He says India and Afghanistan have a common enemy — Pakistan, and India should support Afghanistan in fighting it. “If India decides to give four choppers for symbolic value it means nothing, but if this reflects a paradigm change in New Delhi’s policy, that would be a welcome change. We want an assertive India in the region," he says.
In response to my question about how India can help, the Afghanistan defence minister says, “I don’t tell India what to do, I ask India what can it do? Afghanistan is not relying on one country, but we would accept help from whoever provides it in a speedy manner." A request wrapped in a warning.
India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha reacted to Stanekzai's remarks and said that news from Delhi was expected soon.
Meanwhile the Taliban are still hiding in homes in Kunduz as the battle rages on.
1. It seems Afghanistan is back begging India for lethal weaponry.
2. It seems it is not open Afghans are calling Pakistan the enemy
3. Note: Stenkazai the acting Defense Minister was thought to be so pro-Pakistan that he has been called an ISI agent in Afghanistan.
.....
I learnt that Afghanistan’s government renewed the request for four Mi-35 attack helicopters recently. The attack on Kunduz made this need rather urgent. Weeks before the attack on Kunduz, chief of the Resolute Support Mission and US forces General John F Campbell visited India and told high-ranking officials in the Government of India that the US would welcome a decision by India to give Afghanistan the attack choppers.
This is being seen as a shift in US policy since during the UPA government, the US, in order to please Islamabad, had pressured New Delhi not to provide any lethal equipment to Afghans.
“Twenty provinces in Afghanistan need attack choppers, how are we to distribute these four?” asks Moradian and says India’s help is too-little-too-late, but to give is a better decision than holding out. He says India and Afghanistan have a common enemy — Pakistan, and India should support Afghanistan in fighting it. “If India decides to give four choppers for symbolic value it means nothing, but if this reflects a paradigm change in New Delhi’s policy, that would be a welcome change. We want an assertive India in the region," he says.
In response to my question about how India can help, the Afghanistan defence minister says, “I don’t tell India what to do, I ask India what can it do? Afghanistan is not relying on one country, but we would accept help from whoever provides it in a speedy manner." A request wrapped in a warning.
India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha reacted to Stanekzai's remarks and said that news from Delhi was expected soon.
Meanwhile the Taliban are still hiding in homes in Kunduz as the battle rages on.