The Indian role in Afghanistan (new title)

[Ray]

I am not conversant with the strategy or tactics adopted to take on the terrorists in Afghanistan beyond what is known from open sources.

To beat the terrorists at their game could be like what India has done in Kashmir.

Deployment on the Border to 'seal' (it can never be 100%) with a second line where there is an anti Infiltration obstacle system.

And thereafter there are troops to include para military in bases to operate against those terrorists who have infiltrated and reported to be in location by the locals.

It requires adequate troops and one wonders if the US and ISAF would commit that many troops or paramiltiary.

The advantage the US and ISAF is that they are cleared to use the air force and artillery. That would make a great difference.

One requires to defeat or contain the terrorists and send a message that it won't work before any political measures can be put in place successfully.

[davidbfpo]

At the recent IISS briefing on Afghanistan it was pointed out that India had made no actual investments in Afghanistan for two years, nor were there any Indians training the ANSF in country and there were signs that the ISI -v- RAW competition had eased.

Then I found a link by Australia's Lowy Institute, starting with:

India Today recently reported that a high-level Indian delegation quietly signed a series of new infrastructure deals in Tehran in late November 2011. The big ticket item was a new railway from Iran's Chah Bahar port, which India also promised to help upgrade, to the Hajigak region of eastern Afghanistan, where Indian firms have interests in iron ore.

Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...for-India.aspx

Note the Lowy comment extends to India's position on Iran, which to this faraway observer is well, different.

[Ray]

Pak is wary of Indian influence in Afghan: Pentagon

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pa...tagon/944029/0

[carl]

The report cited by the article says this:

"The year 2011 saw the first ever over year decline in nationwide enemy-initiated attacks in five years. These trends have continued in 2012,".

Does anybody know offhand if they mean enemy initiated attacks against ISAF forces or attacks against everybody to include Afghan civilians and gov officials?

[davidbfpo]

Within a broader strategic article by Paul Rogers are these two paragraphs:

The first factor is pressure from the Pentagon to get India greatly to expand its military aid to Afghanistan (see Rahul Bedi, "US asks India to increase Afghan military assistance", Jane's Defence Weekly, 30 May 2012 (behind an obstacle, but available here:http://www.defence.pk/forums/strateg...ssistance.html).

A substantial team of US government officials had meetings in Delhi on 17-18 May; the officials sought multi-layered assistance from the Indian government that would go far beyond India's current limited role in military training, its training of the Afghan judiciary, and involvement in numerous engineering projects.

The US's wish-list includes direct Indian financial aid for Afghanistan's national-security forces (ANSF); the provision of training to 25,000 ANSF personnel (including up to 500 officers) at bases in India; and the supply of tanks, field-artillery, rocket-launchers, mortars, communications equipment and other materials.

I was bemused to read the USA would want India to supply the ANSF with T-90S & T-72 tanks.

Link to original cited article:http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-ro...hina-next-game

[omarali50]

So presumaly NATO cannot ship supplies via Iran, but India can? Am I correct?
What if NATO buys from India and India ships stuff in via Iran?
Just curious.

[davidbfpo]

Question numbers added

Originally Posted by omarali50

1) So presumably NATO cannot ship supplies via Iran, but India can? 2) Am I correct?
3) What if NATO buys from India and India ships stuff in via Iran?
4) Just curious.

1) I have long suspected that certain European nations do ship supplies overland to Afghanistan via Iran's railways to their rail terminal close to Herat.

2) Yes given India's relationship with Iran - which mar jar with the USA - it can easily use a Gulf port and the overland routes north.

3) Goods in transit to Afghanistan no problem.

4) Keep being curious. You may one day understand this re-run of the 'Great Game'.

[davidbfpo]

On 5th November IISS have an Indian diplomat speaking on this theme:

On the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India, H.E. Ambassador Rakesh Sood, a former Ambassador of India to Afghanistan, will talk about India’s relations with Afghanistan, past and future.

India has also engaged in a series of trilateral and multilateral regional and international initiatives on Afghanistan. Yet, at the same time, there is concern in New Delhi over Afghanistan’s stability and security to 2015 and beyond.

HE Ambassador Rakesh Sood was appointed India’s Ambassador to France in August 2011. He served as Ambassador of India to Afghanistan from January 2005 - January 2008...

A podcast usually appears shortly afterwards, so I shall endeavour to add that.