US hails India's key role in Afghanistan

Washington, Oct 8: Applauding India's key role in Afghanistan, the US has said that New Delhi has been helpful in providing training to the security forces of the war-torn country to help improve the situation there.

"India has a training presence inside Afghanistan and has (it) for a quite some time. Obviously President (Hamid) Karzai finds that very helpful," Pentagon spokesman, Capt John Kirby, told reporters last evening.

He welcomed India's decision to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), a pact on which was inked between the two countries this week during the New Delhi visit of Karzai. Noting that a secure and stable Afghanistan is good for the region, the Pentagon spokesman said this can be achieved by having a string Afghan security force, in which India is playing a key role now.

"Everybody in the region stands to benefit from a secure and stable Afghanistan. The degree to which President Karzai wants to continue its relationship with India, is certainly his decision – the elected leader of that sovereign nation," he said.

"We certainly support that to improve security there. It is not just about Afghanistan. It is a regional issue. India has been helpful in the past, helping train the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces)," he said.

PTI