Military Deployment in Afghanistan is not in India’s National Interests

[Archie]

In recent past most of the killing by US has been done through Drones and That will continue both sides of the Durand Line

 

[IndianArmy]

Actually thats the point why we are discussing it . The topic is calling for deployment and everyone is stating its merits and demerits.

And i personally believe everyone is doing what US is doing there if provided a chance.

so there is NO such reinvention

Yes, We are not Americans to spend a huge amount in Afghanistan compromising our domestic issues. A stable Afghanistan is our national Interest and It would be wise to train and Equip the Afghan Forces to fight for their country.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Given IPKF experience in Sri Lanka and how LTTE was eliminated.

The same model is applicable with respect to Afghanistan, its only ANA who can eliminate Taliban or atleast convince them to give up arms and contest in elections.

 

[janon]

Whichever Indian suggests sending Indian soldiers into Afghanistan, should be the first to be sent there.

Why is this even being discussed? India has no interest whatsoever in fighting somebody else's war. If they come to India to for military training (which they do), we will impart world class training to them to fight insurgents and terrorists. After all very few forces on earth have as much experience and success in that field as India does. But to go fight their war in their country? Sorry, India is not the USA. It has neither the will, nor the inclination to do so.

Except for some geo-strategic games, Afghanistan is not even that important to Indians, that we should send our troops there. Pakistan spent decades sending its troops and its SSG to fight in Afghanistan, and later patronizing the Taliban while the rest of the world looked on in horror at that regime, and now they are paying the price by having their ideological soulmates doing what they do best inside Pakistan.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

 

[Sergi]

Nobody fights anybody's war unless there is a fair share of its own interests.

Thats how the world politics work not like emotionalism .

and well if India is willing to send its troops its your right and wish we can only plan and work accordingly.

Debatable. But that will derail the topic so lets leave it to that.

Wrong world politics still remain emotional on most if the things. eg Avg Pak hating Isarel when there is no direct conflict. It's just because of emotional brotherhood.

Britan-Farance relations . Even though they aren't enemies anymore their competion in everything is worth seeing.

As I said before I don't see India will ever send its troops to AF

 

[RazPaK]

Indians ki paat jaye gi A'stan main.

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

Military

Establish an Indian Military Training Team in Afghanistan (IMTRAT-Afghanistan). Large scale military training of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) needs to institutionalised through the establishment of an Indian Military Training Team in Afghanistan, if requested by Afghanistan. Given India’s rich experience in handling insurgencies, such a training establishment will significantly bolster the capacity of the ANSF to deal with internal challenges themselves.

Perhaps, the most Important point of the article, if requested by Afghanistan we must go on with any such proposal which will help in the strengthening of ANA on Large scale, which is the need of the hour.

Indians ki paat jaye gi A'stan main.

Tumhari to P'stan main hi phaati padi hai.

 

[bigzgvr4]

Perhaps, the most Important point of the article, if requested by Afghanistan we must go on with any such proposal which will help in the strengthening of ANA on Large scale, which is the need of the hour.

Yes I agree Send a division size element their you will make a lot of peoples dream come true and you will also Help the ANA in stabilizing Afghanistan

 

[Umair Nawaz]

With the US military involvement in Afghanistan nearing end by 2014, there are muted voices in India’s strategic community advocating deployment of the Indian military under a UN mandate in Afghanistan. Continuing for over more than a decade now, the Afghan war has perhaps been the longest war in US history. With over 2,500 coalition personnel killed and hundreds of billions spent and no long term solution yet in sight, it is worth asking whether a military involvement in Afghanistan would be in India’s interests.

The security situation in Afghanistan remains fragile and the spread and intensity of attacks by the Taliban and their supporters follow a cyclical pattern. It is now known that even the combined strategic, technological and economic strengths of some of the world’s advanced countries including this century’s lone superpower have not been able to totally neutralise armed irregulars in Afghanistan. A Carnegie report assesses that the Afghan political system’s centre of gravity—the east and the Kabul region—is gravely threatened by a Taliban advance that will take place in the spring of 2013 following the winter lull in fighting, and that 17 out of 34 provinces are likely to be under the control of the Taliban within months of the withdrawal of ISAF from Afghanistan. The situation in Afghanistan is thus essentially that of a strategic stalemate. Given this prevailing murky ground situation, should India risk an extended military deployment in Afghanistan? The simple answer is No.

The issue that needs to be considered while taking a call on an Indian military deployment in Afghanistan is that of Pakistan’s known complicity in the Afghan problem. It is well known that the documents made available by WikiLeaks in 2010 suggest that Pakistan allows representatives of its spy service to meet directly with the Taliban in secret strategy sessions to organize networks of militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders. The killing of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad in a secret raid by US Special Forces has further exposed the duplicity and complicity of the Pakistani establishment.

Therefore, the burning issue is can Pakistan be relied to abandon this duplicity should a UN mandated peace keeping force be deployed in AfPak? It would be naïve to be led into this kind of belief. On the contrary, given Pakistan’s known antipathy towards India’s growing clout in Afghanistan, Pakistan may just up the ante in Jammu & Kashmir, where the grit, toil and perseverance demonstrated over the past three decades by the Indian Armed Forces in containing terrorism has now begun to show results. It is time for India to consolidate the gains made in Jammu & Kashmir, instead of allowing itself to be dragged into a proxy war in a foreign land under the facade of a Rising Regional Power.

According to a U.S. Congressional Research Service report titled “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11” issued on March 29, 2011, over the past decade, the U.S. has spent $ 806 billion in Iraq and $ 444 billion in Afghanistan; at approximately 100 billion dollars a year, besides over 2000 fatalities till date. Can the UN or any other nation afford to commit such massive resources to the Afghan conflict on a recurring basis that is going to remain open ended for several years?

There is no denying the fact that a politically and economically stable Afghanistan is a strategic priority for India. It is also well understood that that a Taliban fundamentalist regime backed by Pakistan would not be in India’s security interests? Afghanistan is also a bridge to the landlocked, resource rich, Central Asian Region (CAR) where India wants to pursue its economic, energy and security interests. All these points are well taken. But the question that remains unanswered is: Which core/vital Indian national security interests stand threatened by ISAF withdrawal from Afghanistan that needs to be secured through a hard power projection? None is the obvious answer!!

Therefore, propositions like “a bigger military presence Afghanistan is essential” and “India must shape Afghanistan’s future”, and “an Indian military involvement in Afghanistan will shift the battleground away from Kashmir and the Indian mainland” are untenable. In fact, such a course of action may prove to be counterproductive. As a recent Rand study has observed: “Not only would such an effort require large amounts of money and manpower, it may also inspire Islamabad – which would almost certainly view increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan as a strategic defeat – to strike back at India as a result”.

Recommendations
India must not view Afghanistan through a Pakistani Prism. India’s policy in Afghanistan must be Afghan centric and not Pakistan Centric! Given the prevailing flux, India must pursue what has been aptly called as a “no strings- attached strategy” in Afghanistan, encompassing institution building, capacity enhancement, reconstruction assistance, soft power projection, and outreach to all major Afghan ethnic groups.

Measures that India could take are:

Diplomatic

New Delhi must vigorously strive for and support a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic Afghan government. This requires a consultative approach with all regional players, particularly with Iran and Russia, to ensure that Pakistani proxies do not successfully come to the centre stage in a post-ISAF political order in Afghanistan.
Strengthen ties with the all ethnic groups, viz., Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras, in Afghanistan. Reengaging the Northern Alliance will also significantly address India’s apprehensions with regard to Pakistan.

Military

Establish an Indian Military Training Team in Afghanistan (IMTRAT-Afghanistan). Large scale military training of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) needs to institutionalised through the establishment of an Indian Military Training Team in Afghanistan, if requested by Afghanistan. Given India’s rich experience in handling insurgencies, such a training establishment will significantly bolster the capacity of the ANSF to deal with internal challenges themselves.
Deployment of Indian Military Observers. Indian Military Observers can be deployed as part of a future UN/Regional Military Observer Group in Afghanistan post ISAF withdrawal in 2014.
Military Deployment. It would be more prudent to Wait & Watch. Should the situation stabilise with a stable National Unity Government, the deployment of up to a Battalion Group (in the time frame 2017-2020) and a Brigade Group (in the time frame of 2020-2025) only as part of a UN-mandated Peacekeeping Force may be considered.
Military Equipment. Small arms, artillery guns, tanks, ammunition, vehicles, helicopters & Tactical Communication Equipment, etc. can be gifted to the Afghan National Security Forces.

Economic & Developmental Assistance

Besides the promised economic aid, deployment of Civil Reconstruction teams, establishment of hospitals and other mega projects like road-rail network, schools, telecommunications, airlines, food storage, electricity, water, sanitation, etc. need to be given a fillip. In the longer run, besides ensuring development, these projects would generate employment and wean the Afghan youth away from the fundamentalist ideology.

Conclusion

The Afghanistan conflict reflects long-standing rivalries among the different ethnic and tribal groups within the country, but it has long been exacerbated by outside powers seeking to protect or advance their own interests. New Delhi must not complicate matters further by viewing Afghanistan as a battleground between India and Pakistan. Instead, India, as a responsible regional power, should steer Afghanistan towards political stability, security through an inclusive government, economic growth, reconstruction and regional integration, which is what that country needs the most.

Col. Amar Ramdasani, YSM is presently Director, Medium & Short Term Force Structuring (PP& FS), HQ IDS, New Delhi.

Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDSA or of the Government of India.

Military Deployment in Afghanistan is not in India

Now after their failures in Afghanistan they have now come up with their new wet dreams

Afg will be target practice for our armed forces it hindus even try to reach there.

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

Yes I agree Send a division size element their you will make a lot of peoples dream come true and you will also Help the ANA in stabilizing Afghanistan

Hey, Smart Alec!

First of all, a division size force isn't required for establishing any "Indian Military Training Team" in Afghanistan, For setting up any Training facility in Afghanistan it will just require (At max) a team of few hundred Officers combined with few Hundred supporting staff (including guarding troops) and they all combine will form a force of maximum between 700 - 900 personnels (Including Training officers).

And as far as your wet dreams of coming true, these 900-1000 (max) personnels wont patrol villages/provinces of Afghanistan in order secure the pare-meter like NATO, these troops will remain in closely guarded training base, by both IA and ANA.

And by doing this, we will be able to strengthen ANA in large numbers without putting our own troops in danger

 

[bigzgvr4]

Hey, Smart Alec!

First of all, a division size force isn't required for establishing any "Indian Military Training Team" in Afghanistan, For setting up any Training facility in Afghanistan it will just require (At max) a team of few hundred Officers combined with few Hundred supporting staff (including guarding troops) and they all combine will form a force of maximum between 700 - 900 personnels (Including Training officers).

And as far as your wet dreams of coming true, these 900-1000 (max) personnels wont petrol villages of Afghanistan in order secure the pare-meter like NATO, these troops will remain in closely guarded training base, by both IA and ANA.

And by this we will be able to strengthen ANA in large numbers without putting our own troops in danger

dude you got me totally mistaken I was saying that a division size element in all the training bases in Afghanistan because its a big country and and about peoples dreams coming true was in refernce to the security concerns about the local afghans bro they rather trust a local face then foreign entity you know what i mean even with your number of 1000 troops you are touching battalion level element you know why not go all out and this way you will be able to secure indian investment in afghanistan in reconstruction efforts

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

dude you got me totally mistaken I was saying that a division size element in all the training bases in Afghanistan because its a big country and and about peoples dreams coming true was in refernce to the security concerns about the local afghans bro they rather trust a local face then foreign entity you know what i mean even with your number of 1000 troops you are touching battalion level element you know why not go all out and this way you will be able to secure indian investment in afghanistan in reconstruction efforts

I am not mistaken I very well know what you were trying to convey in your post # 83. And i have already negated your post, don't try to diverge from your previous post now We dont need Traning bases all over A'stan and neither the Goverment of A'stan. They just need a training base from which approx 200-300 officer's pass out every year. That will be enough for them.

And as for as locals don't like foreign face's, i guess you got some comprehension problems, so Let me Guide you > Read the Title of this thread > Read my post #82 and 85 again. and most importantly

Indian Military Training Team in Afghanistan, if requested by Afghanistan.

Now take a deep breath.

 

[Khan_patriot]

got to hand one thing to the afghans ''militants'' (not going into whether right or wrong) that is that they sure know how to kick tails, the USSR, the US and allies and now it has proven that it is the graveyard of empires and even ''the worlds largest democracy'' is not close to considering setting up a military presence (although if I was an Indian policy maker i would strongly vote for it due to the various strategic and geopolitical advantages), it would only be wise on part of any nation to stay the hell away from Afghanistan, the only country to ever has controlled Afghanistan (partially and indirectly) is Pakistan, India should keep out of our backyard and let us mantain our strategic depth there....

 

[janon]

got to hand one thing to the afghans ''militants'' (not going into whether right or wrong) that is that they sure know how to kick tails, the USSR, the US and allies and now it has proven that it is the graveyard of empires and even ''the worlds largest democracy'' is not close to considering setting up a military presence (although if I was an Indian policy maker i would strongly vote for it due to the various strategic and geopolitical advantages), it would only be wise on part of any nation to stay the hell away from Afghanistan, the only country to ever has controlled Afghanistan (partially and indirectly) is Pakistan, India should keep out of our backyard and let us mantain our strategic depth there....

The world's biggest democracy doesn't have a military presence in any other country either. So that's not really a boasting point for afghanistan

The US is not going back because it was defeated by the afghan militants. They are going back because there is no reason to stay there anymore. They drove the Taliban out of power, reduced them to being terrorists who occasionally blast a bomb, decimated the al Qaeda network that operated with Afghanistan as its base. Established a favorable government there. Its not like there are pitched battles there everyday between the superpower and the afghan militants. The militants are really no match for the americans, soldier to soldier. The combat effectiveness of a US marine or army or green beret unit is simply out of their league. Make no mistake, the US is leaving because their business there is done. They are leaving on a time table set by themselves, at a time and in a manner the decide. Not by the enemy. And the Taliban will not return to power - the US has enough and more resources to ensure that that doesn't happen.

 

[bigzgvr4]

I am not mistaken I very well know what you were trying to convey in your post # 83. And i have already negated your post, don't try to diverge from your previous post now We dont need Traning bases all over A'stan and neither the Goverment of A'stan. They just need a training base from which approx 200-300 officer's pass out every year. That will be enough for them.

And as for as locals don't like foreign face's, i guess you got some comprehension problems, so Let me Guide you > Read the Title of this thread > Read my post #82 and 85 again. and most importantly

Now take a deep breath.

why are you so Suspicious about me bro


i am simply discussing with you on that matter, and If afghanistan Request indian Presence please do help them Because he can be your strategic ally like how pakistan is to china you knowwhat i mean