The Afghan government has reportedly sought active air assistance from the Indian Air Force--a request New Delhi unlikely to consider, a report in The Print says. The request from the embattled Afghan government came when the deadline for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces is barely three weeks away. 

The report, citing top sources in the Afghan government, claimed, Kabul has been aggressively pushing for close air support from India as officials were almost certain that attacks would be intensified after 31 August, a deadline set by US President Joe Biden to end military presence in the war-torn country. 

So far the US forces and the Afghan Air Force have been conducting airstrikes in several provinces as the Taliban captured more and territory and took control of eight provincial centers in less than a week’s time. 

Presently, the stated policy of the US government is that they would only concentrate on counter operations in Afghanistan after 31 August, meaning an end to strikes against the Taliban.

Kabul’s request for active air assistance would effectively mean Indian boots on the ground--a scenario New Delhi has always resisted forcefully, even under extreme pressure from the US government. India’s military presence, even if small, in Afghanistan would open a second front, apart from Jammu and Kashmir, for Pakistan to stage another proxy war. 

Citing a top Indian source, another report in The Print said that New Delhi wasn’t considering, at any level, an active Indian military intervention in Afghanistan. However, the official added, “benign support” like maintenance of equipment, training and spare parts were always under discussion. 

 There is almost consensus among experts that airstrikes aren’t going to change the momentum of the war. The US has been striking against the Taliban for almost 20 years while the Taliban, on the other hand, continued to make gains. 

The close air support by any third country, at best,will delay the Taliban’s advances in cities; it can’t reverse the tide.

(SAM)