Afghan Army Chief Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai is anticipated to pay a three-day essential go to to India from July 27 to discover boosting bilateral army ties within the face of the Taliban making sweeping offensive throughout Afghanistan following the withdrawal of international forces, folks accustomed to the event mentioned on Tuesday.
Gen Ahmadzai is scheduled to carry wide-ranging talks with the highest Indian army brass together with his counterpart Gen MM Naravane and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, they mentioned.
“The Afghan Army Chief is scheduled to arrive in India on July 27 for a three-day visit. He is scheduled to return in the first half of July 30. Strengthening defence cooperation will be the focus of the visit,” mentioned one of many individuals.
Afghanistan has been reaching out to its key allies in searching for help to strengthen its safety forces within the backdrop of the Taliban resorting to widespread violence to broaden its affect throughout the nation after the US started withdrawing troops from May 1.
In the previous couple of years, India has offered at the least 5 army helicopters to the war-ravaged nation which has been making an attempt to strengthen its air energy.
Afghanistan has additionally been searching for India’s help in making purposeful Soviet-era helicopters and transport plane that weren’t in flying situation.
The nation has been struggling to get spare elements for plane and helicopters attributable to Western sanctions in opposition to Moscow.
Last month President Ashraf Ghani appointed Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai as the brand new chief of military workers, changing Gen Yasin Zia.
It is learnt that Gen Ahmadzai is more likely to search a provide of army {hardware} from India to boost the fight functionality of his forces.
The Afghan Army chief’s go to to India additionally comes within the midst of accelerating pressure in Kabul’s ties with Islamabad following the temporary kidnapping of the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan.
Following the incident, the Afghanistan international ministry mentioned it was recalling the ambassador and different senior diplomats till all safety threats are eliminated.
In an handle at a connectivity convention in Tashkent on Friday, President Ghani hit out at Pakistan for the inflow of international terrorists into Afghanistan and failing to do sufficient to affect the Taliban to significantly have interaction within the peace talks.
“Intelligence estimates indicate the influx of over 10,000 jihadi fighters (into Afghanistan) from Pakistan and other places in the last month,” Ghani mentioned on the convention within the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and a number of other different leaders.
India has been a significant stakeholder within the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested almost USD 3 billion in assist and reconstruction actions within the nation.
India has been supporting a nationwide peace and reconciliation course of which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.
