New Delhi: India handed over two Mi 24V gunship helicopters to Afghanistan at a ceremony held in Kabul on Tuesday. The attack chopper, which is also capable of low-capacity troop transport, was handed over to Afghanistan's Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid by India's Ambassador Vinay Kumar.
Sources said these helicopters are meant as replacement for four helicopters that had earlier been gifted by India to Afghanistan in the year 2015-16.
"Amb Vinay Kumar @vkumar1969 congratulated the AAF on the Mi-24V induction and wished them success. H.E Asadullah Khalid thanked India for its support," tweeted the Indian embassy in Afghanistan.
Kabul-based news channel Tolo News reported that the handover took place at a military airport in Afghanistan.
The news channel quoted the Indian ambassador as saying: "The Afghan National Defense Security Forces (have made a) stellar effort to provide an umbrella of security to achieve shared and common values against cross-border terrorism and internal threats."
The Afghan Air Force is scheduled to receive 150 new MD530 F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters by 2022 that will take the total number of choppers of this make operated by the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces to almost 180, as per the news channel.