Afghan forces killed an estimated 300 ISIS fighters in an operation mounted two weeks ago, the top United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday, calling it a severe blow to the group.
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On his visit to India, the commander addressed the media on Wednesday (10 August) and talked about how the country has been cooperating with the USA in providing training assistance to Afghan forces, The Hindu reported.
Nicholson said, “The Afghans have asked for more of these helicopters”.
He specifically called for India’s assistance to the Afghan troops to fix and service Russia-made aircraft. “We are building the Afghan Air Force as a critical component of security”.
Nicholson said the offensive in the eastern province of Nangarhar was part of US operations to cut down the ISIS capabilities wherever it raised its head, whether in Iraq and Syria or in Afghanistan.
Nitin Mehta, a defense analyst in India, commented on the U.S. approach: “The call for stepping up military aid to Afghanistan is not a changed response of Washington in diplomatic terms, but only in military terms, arising from the sanctions by the Western world on Russian Federation, thereby [pulling] the plug on supply of military spares”. “There is an immediate need for more”. This is where India is said to play a crucial role as it does not have sanctions against Russian Federation.
Pakistan says it has been a victim of terrorism, much of it from groups based in Afghanistan, for years.
Due to sanctions against Russia, Afghan security forces are reported to be struggling to find spare parts to service Russia-made aircraft.
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Asked whether there was growing concern in Pakistan about India’s role in Afghanistan, he only said, “I think it is an accurate statement”. “When these aircraft come in, they immediately get into the fight”, Nicholson said.
