US hails India key role in Afghanistan

"India has a training presence inside Afghanistan and has it for a quite some time. Obviously President Hamid Karzai finds that very helpful," Pentagon spokesman, Capt John Kirby, told reporters on Friday. He welcomed India`s decision to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), a pact which was inked between the two countries this week during the New Delhi visit of Karzai.

Noting that a secure and stable Afghanistan is good for the region, the Pentagon spokesman said this can be achieved by having a strong Afghan security force, in which India is playing a key role now. "Everybody in the region stands to benefit from a secure and stable Afghanistan. The degree to which President Karzai wants to continue its relationship with India, is certainly his decision ? the elected leader of that sovereign nation," he said. "We certainly support that security must be improved there. It is not just about Afghanistan. It is a regional issue. India has been helpful in the past, helping train the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces)," he said.