Windjammer
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 41,319
- Reaction score
- 181
- Country
- Location
Future uncertain for Afghan cadets training at military academies in India
Future of as many as 130 Afghan cadets training at different military academies in India seems uncertain after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
A
Manjeet Negi New DelhiAugust 17, 2021UPDATED: August 17, 2021 21:16 IST
About 130 Afghan military personnel are being trained at different Indian military academies. (Representative Image)
Future seems difficult and uncertain for the Afghan soldiers and military cadets undergoing training in India after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
As many as 130 Afghan military personnel are being trained at different institutions, with a bulk of them at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) at Chennai and the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Pune.
Defence officers said the training and other expenses of these officers and cadets were being borne by India as part of nation-building efforts in Afghanistan after 2001.
“The future of these cadets and officers is uncertain as their army has already surrendered and the Taliban are in power. They are uncertain about their future, but some decision will have to be taken to decide their future,” sources in the Indian Army said.
One of the possibilities is that they might join the Afghan Army troops, who have joined ranks with the Taliban, as a majority of them have done so. However, the sources said there is no clarity at the moment about what these cadets and soldiers would do on returning to their country or whether they would return there or not in the near future.
On average, around 700 to 800 Afghan soldiers per year have been attending short-duration “tailor-made” courses at different Indian military establishments for well over a decade now.
“Moreover, 80-100 cadets come for pre-commissioning training at IMA, OTA and NDA every year. Though we train cadets from many other countries ranging from Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to Vietnam, Myanmar and Tajikistan at our military academies, the Afghans constitute the bulk of the foreign cadets,” said an official.
Future of as many as 130 Afghan cadets training at different military academies in India seems uncertain after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
A
Manjeet Negi New DelhiAugust 17, 2021UPDATED: August 17, 2021 21:16 IST
About 130 Afghan military personnel are being trained at different Indian military academies. (Representative Image)
Future seems difficult and uncertain for the Afghan soldiers and military cadets undergoing training in India after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
As many as 130 Afghan military personnel are being trained at different institutions, with a bulk of them at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) at Chennai and the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Pune.
Defence officers said the training and other expenses of these officers and cadets were being borne by India as part of nation-building efforts in Afghanistan after 2001.
“The future of these cadets and officers is uncertain as their army has already surrendered and the Taliban are in power. They are uncertain about their future, but some decision will have to be taken to decide their future,” sources in the Indian Army said.
One of the possibilities is that they might join the Afghan Army troops, who have joined ranks with the Taliban, as a majority of them have done so. However, the sources said there is no clarity at the moment about what these cadets and soldiers would do on returning to their country or whether they would return there or not in the near future.
On average, around 700 to 800 Afghan soldiers per year have been attending short-duration “tailor-made” courses at different Indian military establishments for well over a decade now.
“Moreover, 80-100 cadets come for pre-commissioning training at IMA, OTA and NDA every year. Though we train cadets from many other countries ranging from Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to Vietnam, Myanmar and Tajikistan at our military academies, the Afghans constitute the bulk of the foreign cadets,” said an official.
