From rxpgnews.com
Indian officers to train Afghan troops in language skills
By IANS,
Apr 27, 2007 - 2:05:31 PM
New Delhi, April 27 - A small team of Indian Army officers will be heading to Afghanistan soon to train personnel of the Afghan National Army in English language skills and map reading.
But the Indian government has clarified that it has no intention to train the ANA in military combat operations - a move that could drag India into the Afghan quagmire.
'There is no proposal to send Indian army personnel to Afghanistan for training the Afghan army,' the external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said Friday.
'Defence establishments in India hold training programmes from time-to-time for military personnel from other countries, including Afghanistan,' the external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said Friday.
He had been asked to comment on a media report this week that the Indian Army personnel would be leaving for Kabul in a few months to train the ANA.
Army sources, however, told IANS that around a dozen officers comprising English language experts would be sent to instruct Afghan troops in basic language skills and map reading. It will be non-combat training, the sources added.
Despite requests by the US for committing Indian troops to Afghanistan, entangled in escalating violence engineered by a resurgence Taliban, India has stayed away from such an exercise on the ground that it can do so only under the UN banner and not as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force -.
Instead of sending troops, India has chosen to concentrate on reviving and rebuilding infrastructure in Afghanistan and has pledged $750 million for reconstruction of the war-torn country.
New Delhi is involved in a wide array of infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including the building of roads, railways, power plants and the parliament building.
Security cover for over 2,000 Indian workers involved in these reconstruction projects in Afghanistan has been increased after at least two Indians were killed in Afghanistan in the last two years.
India has high stakes in peace and stability in Afghanistan as turmoil in this country and the linkage of the Taliban with other militants in the region can impact its security.
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