India set to deliver more arms to Afghan to help it fight Islamist Militants

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi-India is set to deliver more arms to Afghanistan to help it fight Islamist militants, Kabul’s envoy to New Delhi said, even if Pakistan is wary of closer military cooperation between countries lying to its east and west.

India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years, but has been more measured in providing weapons in order to avoid a backlash from Pakistan, which sees Afghanistan as its area of influence.

Last December, New Delhi announced the supply of four attack helicopters in India’s first transfer of lethal equipment to the government in Kabul since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement was toppled.

Shaida Mohammad Abdali, the Afghan ambassador to India, said regional security was deteriorating and Afghan national forces were in dire need of military supplies to tackle the Taliban, Islamic State and other militant groups. “We are grateful for the four helicopters. But we need more, we need much more. Today we are heading into a situation that is worrisome for everyone in the region including India,” he told.