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India
To Help Raise Afghan Army, Dostum Denies Seeking Indian Hardware
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| Dostum
sought Indian military support? |
NEW
DELHI, Feb. 1 (Islamonline & News Agencies) -
India has promised help to Afghanistan in establishing its national army, with
training program, the extent and scope of which will be worked out later.
An
assurance to this effect was given by Indian defense minister George Fernandes
to the visiting Afghan deputy defense minister, Abdul Rashid Dostum, reported
Times of India today.
Dostum,
in talks with Indian officials, expressed his country’s gratitude for the help
it received from India. The two sides discussed possibilities of cooperation in
a wide range of areas including health, education, agriculture and information
technology.
However,
Dostum Friday denied reports that he was seeking Indian military hardware to
help strengthen his war-ravaged country's defenses, AFP reported.
"We
did not say anything about providing defense supplies," Dostum said in an
interview with the Star television channel.
"Actually
we spoke about India sending a field hospital for the Afghan people, and
artificial limbs for disabled people," he said.
"I
also asked for medicines and doctors to train Afghan doctors, but not for
defense supplies."
Indian
foreign ministry spokeswoman, Nirupama Rao told reporters on Thursday that
Dostum's talks with Fernandes had discussed the creation a national Afghan army.
"The
two sides spoke of expanding cooperation in the education and health sectors
(and) cooperation in training the national army of Afghanistan. Military
officers from Afghanistan will participate in training programs conducted
here," Rao said.
She
did not rule out the possibility of Indian army personnel visiting Afghanistan
to train local recruits.
India,
along with Russia and Iran, had been staunch supporters of the Northern
Alliance, the main Afghan opposition to the Taliban regime which was ousted from
Kabul on November 13.
India
has promised its "unconditional" support to the interim administration
in Kabul led by Hamid Karzai.
With
additional reporting by Our India Correspondent
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