“As I am sure you are aware, they (Indians) are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. They are concerned about the intersection between the instability there and their counter-terrorism concerns,” Colin H. Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Afghanistan, South and Central Asia security. Told.
“They (Indians) want to work with us on issues, to share intelligence, to cooperate where we can,” he said. US and Indian national interest Immediately
“This provides us with great opportunities to cooperate with India, not only on Afghanistan and terrorism, but on broader regional security questions, in the Indian Ocean and related to the wider Indo-Pacific,” Kahal said. .
He was responding to a question from Senator Gary Peters.
“India’s policies towards Afghanistan have been conceived largely through the lens of competition and proxy conflict with Pakistan. So it stands to reason that New Delhi should be no less concerned about the possibility that the Taliban government may benefit anti-India terrorist groups, especially those oriented towards Kashmir,” he said.
“Given our commitment to joint cooperation and interoperability with this important partner, and the fact that India is the only designated major defense partner of the United States, I believe it is important for us to understand that the That’s how his approach is and will evolve,” Peters said.
Earlier this month, Kahl co-chaired the US-India Defense Policy Group meeting.
In response to another question from Senator Jack Reed, Kahl said Pakistan is a challenging actorBut it does not want Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorist attacks or external attacks.
“They continue to give us access to Pakistani airspace and we are in talks about keeping that airspace open and are happy to talk more about that in closed session. But for now, Pakistan The counter-terrorism cooperation with the US is very good,” he said.
“Our inability in multiple administrations to deal effectively with Pakistan is another example of a prelude to the past. Management of the security relationship with Pakistan will remain important as we work with other partners and allies to successfully implement a regional counter-terrorism strategy. want,” Reid said.
“That’s why it’s so important for us to reflect on and study the entirety of our 20-year mission in Afghanistan,” he said.
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