ehtasab

DAWN.COM | World | Iran, India may join US war in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: A key US senator said on Thursday that the United States and Iran might begin their cooperation for stabilising Afghanistan after a meeting between officials of the two countries in The Hague next week.
‘We also need to reach out to Afghanistan’s other neighbours, including India, China, and Iran,’ Senator John Kerry told the confirmation hearing for the new US ambassador to Afghanistan.

The former Democratic presidential candidate, who now heads the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that in 2001 and 2002, Iran helped to stabilise Afghanistan. ‘And the Obama administration is right to explore how our interests might coincide again on this issue, beginning at the Hague Conference next week,’ he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Hasan Qashqavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Tehran that Iran would join the United States at two international conferences on Afghanistan, including the one at The Hague which begins on March 31.

‘The level of participation is yet to be determined,’ he added. Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially invited Iran to the Hague conference.
The US move is seen in Tehran as a moral victory for the Iranian government, which was castigated by the Bush administration as part of an ‘Axis of Evil’.
Although the US still plays a leading role in the campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme, the US decision to involve it in its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan enhances the stature of the Iranian government.

Both the Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are expected to attend. Other attendees will include foreign ministers from countries in the region, countries that are part of the International Security Assistance Force and other countries and organisations that are contributing to reconstruction in Afghanistan.

At the confirmation hearing, Senator Kerry outlined some of the salient features of a new US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is expected to be announced on Friday.

The new strategy also seeks to triple US economic assistance to Pakistan and a greater engagement with the Afghans.

‘I will soon be re-introducing with Senator Lugar the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act, which seeks to triple non-military aid to the people of Pakistan,’ Senator Kerry said.

The proposed legislation will also hold Pakistan’s ‘security forces more accountable for assistance provided in their fight against the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda,’ he added.

Senator Richard Lugar, a ranking Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which authorises US foreign aid, also has pledged to support the bill.

‘We can all agree that today Afghanistan, along with its neighbour Pakistan, represents the central front in our global campaign against terrorism,’ Senator Kerry told the confirmation hearing.

Referring to the new strategy, Senator Kerry stressed the need for a regional approach for bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. ‘Our strategy must also reflect the interconnectedness of the region’s challenges,’ he said.

‘This requires redoubling our efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s civilian government and support its activities against militants in the tribal belt.’ That’s why, he said, he was seeking to triple US assistance to Pakistan.

Senator Kerry noted that President Barak Obama has pledged to recommit to Afghanistan, beginning with the deployment of 17,000 additional US troops and a significant effort to increase the size and capacity of Afghan security forces. He said while he supported this move, he also believed that ‘troops alone will not bring victory.’
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This will be a big disaster for Pakistan, we all know India is already active in Afghanistan and if Indian military is involved directly it will only mean Pakistan will further be destabilized to the point where the world will cry "save Pakistan's nukes".

Salahuddin Ayyubi

Not going to happen, All these news reports by Shri Obama only mean one thing. exit strategy.... Know cannot win so why not find a face saver..

ehtasab

They might put these armies (Iran and India) in there (don't think China will be interested though) before running out of Afghanistan.

Khehkeshan

Better than ISI's suicide wing I guess.

ehtasab

^ You think Indian joining Afghan war will be better for Pakistan?

Khehkeshan

It might be better for the people of Pakistan

Salahuddin Ayyubi

If US is gearing to cut and run do you think Iran India stand a chance? jero chance, nada....

aam bandha

You can have your point of view ...... but if history is anything to go by .... India and for that matter Iran have never used their armies as "hired guns" ....

aam bandha

US is paying for its mistakes ...... they went into Afghanistan without a plan and they did nothing all these years to tackle the "safe havens" that the Talibans had to operate from inside Pakistan !!!!

In that sense India has in the past been able to tackle militancy in the border areas of Punjab and more recently in Kashmir. Once the "safe havens" in Pakistan used by militants were not available, they were defeated. It is important to remeber that these "safe havens" were "denied" to these militants by the Pakistani establishment in the end.

Take the case of East Pakistan .... the army could not tackle the mukti bahini as they had "safe havens" across the border and in the end Pakistan army had to leave ...... since they were not able to tackle effectively these "safe havens" ......

Lessons to be learnt from history

Salahuddin Ayyubi

Yeah US did not learn from Korean war, not from Vietnam War not from Iraq war not from Afghan war but now it will learn from India.... LMAO...

You get 10 out of 10 for your ususal BS and the joke of the day.

burqaposhx

hahah. AB. why this emotional and thus ignorant post? are you talking about real history or simply he-$hit-ry?

FYI. Indians are working as hired guns in Afghanistan and in Iraq. In Afghanistan they wear Indian uniforms, and in Iraq they are working as mercenaries through Kuwaiti companies. Their job in Iraq is to guard convoys and work as cooks and porters.

Iranians may be wee bit better than Arab armies, but they still are pathetic militarily. That's why no one wants to hire them. If you know tiny bit about Iranians and their war against Iraq, you would have realized that Iranian military believes in using pre-WW I tactics. The stuff that has been abandoned by every decent army in the world (for the last 100 years).

aam bandha

Again a comment with emotions but no substance...... we are talking about using the army of a country as "hired guns" ...... when "A" country gets paid from a "B" country for services rendered (and sometimes when payments are not made the minister complains in press that we have not been paid).....

Hope i have clarified the concept for you.

Punjabee in USA

Can you back up your claim that Indian army is working as mercenaries in Iraq & Afghanistan and that they are working as cooks & porters in Iraq ?

burqaposhx

If you want to express your hate for Pakistan then be my guest.

However if you want an open and honest discussion, we could continue. Many Indian nationalist like you fall into this trap of building a case that looks like intellectual analysis, but in reality they put very specific conditions in it, so that it only applies to Pakistan.

That my friend is pure prejudice and hate, even though you want to peddle this poison in the name of professor-e.

aam bandha

To be honest since hating Pakistan does not get me anything i generally refrain from it. And that is why my response was written in a way so as not to offend anyone but at the same time get the message across.

navid83

Why don't you go take a look at your sorry excuse of a military before bashing on ours? At least we don't allow Taliban filth to infiltrate our ranks as your army has demonstrated many times.

Iranians never bow down to a foreign force, whereas the Pakistanis have bowed down to the yanks, the Saudis, Pashtuns, etc.

burqaposhx

I guess you need to learn a bit of history.

Iran was much bigger US ally (due to oil and not purely due to military strength) until 1979. Just remember "Never say never".

Your accusations about Taliban is correct. You just need to know that Taliban are Wahabi Sunni Mullahs messing up pakistan.

For you Iranians, a bigger disease aka Shia Mullahs have already messed up your country. So no need for you to dance around. Here is another one for you.

"people who live in the glass houses ........."

FYI your response was written with the most pathetic logic possible. Remember if you become referee, the goali, and the attacker then the logic breaks down.

Your assertions about Pak army are so prejudiced that you drag in only Pakistan specific pre-conditions with the sole purpose of maligning Pakistan and Pak army.


Many Indian (may not be you), love to suck up to the USA/UK in "every field" be it military, or IT etc. They make movies about India's abject poverty and you guys jump up and down with praises for the gora sahib.

But heavens would fall if Pakistan helps out USA even in the smallest possible way.

That's why I say your logic is so skewed against Pakistan, that you even don't know about it.

Punjabee in USA

^ Burqa, can you pls substantiate your earlier comment ?

burqaposhx

No need to ask for spoon-feeding. Oh Bhai you should keep track of news about India. Asia times and many other sources have over the years published stories about Indians working as mercenaries in Iraq.

Salahuddin Ayyubi

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FF09Df04.html

India and the interim mess in Iraq

The UPA government reiterates India's decades-old commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own. Steps will be taken to withdraw Indian mercenaries from Iraq, while further recruitment for this purpose will be banned.