No troop contribution in Afghanistan: India

India on Tuesday asserted that it would not send troops to Afghanistan, but would continue its developmental and humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged neighbour.
 
Asked how India could enhance its support towards Afghanistan in accordance with the US expectations, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman ruled out sending troops to the neighbouring nation, but observed that developmental activities and humanitarisn assistance would continue.
 
“There will be no boots from India on the ground. If necessary, we can expand our support for infrastructure building, training of personnel and medical assistance,” she said after her interaction with the US Defence Secretary James Mattis here.
 
This is the first US Cabinet-level visit to India after Donald Trump Administration assumed office on January 20 this year.
 
Last month President Trump announced a new policy on Afghanistan in which Washington envisaged New Delhi's greater role in Kabul.
 
“India welcomed President Trump's new US Strategy for Afghanistan. I had useful discussions with Secretary Mattis on how we could strengthen our cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Government of Afghanistan in pursuit of our common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan,” she said.
 
Earlier this month, New Delhi announced deepening its strategic partnership with Kabul besides awarding projects worth $ 300 million to the north western neighbour.
 
India is also a member of a Russia-led, six-nation coalition that is carrying out the consultation on reconciliation process involving the Afghanistan government and the Taliban. Mattis would be reaching Kabul on Wednesday for bilateral talks.
 
On Pakistan, the USA closed ranks with India in denouncing the Islamic republic for providing safe heavens to terrorists that caused mayhems like 9/11 in New York 26/11 in Mumbai.
 
“There should not be any safe heaven for the terrorists. There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe heavens. India and USA resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge,” US Defence Secretary James Mattis said here after his maiden meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman.
 
While Mattis didn't name Pakistan, Sitharaman said she raised the issue of USA supplying military aids to Pakistan that continued to back the terrorists.
 
“The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross border terrorism were discussed in depth. Secretary Mattis assured me that he will raise the issue of terrorism emanating with Pakistan, when he visits Pakistan,” she said.
 
The US Defence Secretary called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
 
On the 2+2 dialogue process involving Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and their counterparts Sitharaman and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, Mattis said the inaugural dialogue would happen in “near future.”
 
Also more exercise opportunities will be explored by the two militaries, which include expanding the maritime engagements