NEW DELHI - Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid has said that the terrorism continues to pose main threat to Afghanistan's security and its internal stability.
"Terrorism and extremism continues to target the people of Afghanistan," Khurshid in a press statement here Saturday.
"We too have been facing this threat for many years, and understand the importance in times like these of friends and strategic partners forging the closest of cooperation to defeat this evil scourge." India said it will always be with Afghanistan in the battle against terrorism and extremism.
Paying tributes to the men and women of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), he said the force despite having the lack equipment and the shortage of resources continue to win the battle of terrorism.
"They have truly emerged as a national force that unifies the whole of Afghanistan," Khurshid added.
He said that India sees ANSF has an important role to play during this year of political and security transition in Afghanistan.
"The international community must fulfill its pledges to ensure that the plans to rebuild the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police are fulfilled," Khurshid noted.
"India will continue to assist the ANSF in whatever manner is possible within our capacities. We have always said that a peaceful, prosperous and sovereign Afghanistan that is capable of defending itself is in India's strategic interest," he added.
"We are giving them helicopters and we will be supplying them very soon," Mr Khurshid told reporters who accompanied him on a day-long visit to Kandahar, where he inaugurated an agricultural university built with Indian aid.
"We have also been giving them some logistical support and we hopefully will be able to upgrade and refurbish their transport aircraft," he said.
Mr Khurshid did not specify the number or type of helicopters to be provided to Afghanistan.
Mr Karzai had sought military aid and equipment from India during a visit to New Delhi in December.
"Afghanistan is very special and uptil now wherever they felt they need (something), we have been giving them," Mr Khurshid said.
"I think it is consistent with our approach - building capacity, providing training. That seems to be going well. Ultimately it is what we mutually agree and is within our capacity to supply."
India is "not reluctant" about assisting Afghanistan as it has a very clear policy the world over to build capacity, Mr Khurshid said.
"We are not in the game of giving people large scale equipment which is lethal and so on," he said.
Earlier in Kandahar, Mr Karzai told journalists from India he was not dissatisfied with India's response to his request to supply military equipment to strengthen Afghan security forces.
"I am not disappointed. I am rather happy and grateful to India for its assistance," he said. "India's response has been good."
Reiterating Indian support to establish a genuine Afghan owned, Afghan led and Afghan controlled Reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he said India support the brave and the strong decision of Afghanistan to offer peace to armed adversaries. (KUNA)