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| Afghanistan | |
| Afghanistan turns to India for military helicopters | |
| 2015-11-07 | |
| [DAWN] Afghanistan is poised to acquire four attack helicopters from India to help it fight a growing Taliban insurgency, a small but significant deal marking a shift in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the Worldand didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... 's search for allies.
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. held off military assistance from India while he courted Pakistain's political and military leadership to end years of mutual hostility and steer the Taliban, many of who live in Pakistain, toward negotiations. But a wave of bombings in Kabul that Ghani said were plotted in Pakistain, followed by the Taliban encircling major cities including briefly taking over Kunduz in the north, has prompted a scramble to shore up support in the region. Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar is due in New Delhi this weekend to finalise the transfer of the Russian-made Mi-25 helicopters, said sources in New Delhi and Kabul who are involved in the plans. Afghan forces badly need air power to reverse gains by the Taliban and in particular helicopter gunships that have range as well as firepower, the officials said. While the United States (US) has agreed to supply Afghan forces with light McDonnell Douglas MD 530 helicopters, which can be fitted with weapons, many Afghan officers prefer the bigger, sturdier Russian machines. Atmar will be discussing with his Indian hosts the fight against terrorism as well as air force equipment issues, the Afghan National Security Council (ANSC) said in a Twitter post. "We are going to give them the helicopters, this is a one-off arrangement," said an Indian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... because of the sensitivity of the matter. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 many Afghan officers prefer the bigger, sturdier Russian machines. When your hardware is going to be maintained by illiterate peasants it's hard to beat Russian stuff. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2015-11-07 03:51 |