A Stable Afghanistan Remains Cardinal to Indo-US Cooperation in the Region
The Indo-US cooperation is very critical to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan ; the former could help in strengthening the Afghan security forces apart from helping in bringing together a political alliance of warlords against the Taliban .
Likely Areas of Cooperation : Even as a non-cooperative Pakistan tries to ruin peace chances in Afghanistan by supporting Taliban , an alliance between India and the US helps Afghanistan to securely move out of the instability . India and USA have very huge scope for cooperation in Afghanistan , especially in strengthening the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces ( ANDSF ). After the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan , the US has been searching for a responsible and suitable partner to shoulder the burden of ensuring peace in the strife-torn nation . India as a regional power certainly suits America ’ s interests .
India has completed many development projects in Afghanistan and is taking up many more ; this is apart from having provided economic assistance of over three billion dollars . In addition , India has also been providing training to the Afghan security personnel to prepare them to better handle the internal threats emanating from the Taliban . All of this makes India an indispensable partner for the US in Afghanistan .
Furthermore , US would like India to expand its defence cooperation with Afghanistan by undertaking training of the latter ’ s Air Force recruits ; help in ramping up pilot training for light aircraft and helicopters and also help in establishing service and repair facilities .
72 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 9 • September 2018 , Noida