India to give first of four attack copters to Afghanistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to formally hand over to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Friday the first of the four Mi-25 attack helicopters India is gifting Afghanistan to add some teeth to the newly-revived air force of the war-ravaged country.

The attack helicopter is going to be the first lethal military hardware India is giving Afghanistan, at least after the Taliban takeover of the country in 1996. Though Ghani’s predecessor Hamid Karzai’s government had requested for a range of weapons to help fight Taliban, New Delhi so far kept its military support to the conflict-hit country limited to providing training to officials and soldiers of the Afghan National Army and supply of non-lethal defence hardware.

The formal handover of the attack helicopter by Modi to Ghani in Kabul on Friday is intended to send out a strong signal about India’s readiness to help Afghanistan in its fight against Taliban and Islamic State militants, officials told Deccan Herald in New Delhi.

Modi will leave for Moscow on Wednesday and he will also paid a brief visit to Kabul on his way back to New Delhi on Friday.

The prime minister will inaugurate the new complex for Afghan Parliament, which was built by India as a mark of New Delhi’s support to democracy in Afghanistan.

Modi’s visit to Kabul follows a reversal by Ghani government of its policy of distancing from India and relying much on Pakistan, ostensibly to buy peace with Taliban.