India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past by providing assistance in training and infrastructure improvements, the Pentagon has said on Monday.
“That kind of work, that kind of effort to help Afghanistan maintain stability and good governance is always welcome,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters when asked about India-U.S. cooperation on Afghanistan, during his daily press briefing.
India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan, supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. It has already invested nearly $3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the war-ravaged country.
It has also been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in the country, including those from the minority communities, for a prosperous and safe future.
Since the announcement of the withdrawal of U.S. forces by August 31, Afghanistan has seen a rise in violence and efforts to broker a peace settlement between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban have slowed down.
With Taliban attacks increasing, Afghan security forces and government troops have retaliated, with airstrikes aid from the United States.
Mr. Kirby also said that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin shares the concern of the international community about the security situation in Afghanistan, “which is clearly not going in the right direction.”
“The secretary continues to believe that the Afghan Forces have the capability, they have the capacity to make a big difference on the battlefield,” he asserted.
“He has maintained that we will continue to support them with the authority where and when feasible, understanding that it is not always going to be feasible. But where and when feasible will continue to support them with airstrikes, for instance,” he said.
Acknowledging the fact that the Taliban has been making advances, Mr. Kirby iterated that, “The Afghans have capacity. They have the capability. They have a capable air force,” he said.
“The other thing is we're focused as we should be given the President's direction, we're focused on completing the drawdown by the end of the month and by transitioning to a different bilateral relationship with Afghan Forces that will be one of support, financial and logistical maintenance support from outside the country. That's the focus, that's what we're driving at,” he added.
