India not to send troops to be based in Afghanistan: Sitharaman

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

India on Tuesday made it clear that it would not send its troops to be based in Afghanistan. There would be no Indian boots on the ground, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing a joint press conference with US Defence Secretary James Mattis in New Delhi.

‘Boots on the ground’ in military parlance means putting troops on ground.

In the last week of August, US President Donald Trump had announced a new Afghanistan policy that articulated Washington’s desire that New Delhi “does more for Kabul”. India welcomed the policy while underscoring its contribution in capacity-building of the war-torn country.

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Indian line of not sending troops to Afghanistan is consistent since 2001 when the US announced its war of terror post 9/11 strikes. Sitharaman was responding to a question posed by a US journalist accompanying Mattis.

When asked, “The US is seeking more contribution from India. Do you rule out troops on the ground?” Sitharaman said, “We have built dams, hospitals and roads; that has been India’s contribution and that will continue.”

Mattis’ is the first Cabinet-level visit from the US to India since Trump took over in January.

From New Delhi’s perspective, India is already part of the Russia-led six-nation group on consultations on reconciliation with Taliban. At the military level, New Delhi has trained more than 4,000 Afghan army officers and provided helicopters, small arms and is also examining a long wish list, that includes artillery guns, short-range missiles, military support vehicles and even the Russian built T-90 tanks.

Indian-built civilian projects include a large hydroelectric dam and a highway.

Earlier, in the joint statement, both sides, without naming any country, spoke about freedom of navigation and resolution of disputes within the ‘rules-based global order’. This was an obvious reference to the South China Sea and the ongoing dispute with China.

“We have very substantive forward-looking talks. I am confident that this will deepen cooperation with the US,” Sitharaman said, adding that she appreciated Secretary Mattis’s willingness to share technology that would help meet security challenges.

When asked if India raised the issue of the US continuing its aid to Pakistan, Sitharaman said she had raised the matter with her US counterpart. “The same forces that find havens in Pakistan hit at New York and Mumbai. My request is that Secretary Mattis speaks out when he visits Pakistan.”