The Taliban quickly seized control of the landlocked country with little actual fighting with Afghan forces, raising a big question mark over the fate of more than 150 Afghan soldiers and cadets currently trained in India, the Times of India website reported.
Reported that the Indian government “will have to decide” on the future of Afghan military personnel trained in the country. Most of the group attended the Indian Military Academy (IMA), the Officer Training School (OTA) in Chennai and the National Defense Academy (NDA) in Pune, Indian defense ministry sources said Monday.
In addition to cadets at these institutions, some Afghan officers and others at other levels also attend tailor-made short-term training at different military training institutions in India, a source said.
Indian media said the military personnel were concerned about their families and the situation in Afghanistan, especially given the Taliban’s “hatred” of the Afghan National Defence Force and Security Forces (ASDSF).
“Their training continues, but they are obviously worried that the Indian government will have to consider their future,” the source said.
In addition to providing military equipment to the Afghan defence and security forces, including four Mi-25 helicopter gunships and three Indian Leopard light helicopters, India has trained thousands of Afghan military personnel over the years in counter-terrorism, military field, intelligence gathering and information technology.
“In addition, 80-100 cadets come to these military academies each year for pre-service training. Although we have also trained students from many other countries, from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar to Tajikistan, Afghans make up the bulk of foreign cadets,” one official said.
In fact, the afghan army chief, Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, was scheduled to visit India late last month to seek further military assistance and training in Afghanistan. But the visit was canceled because of the rapid progress made by the Taliban in Afghanistan as A U.S.-led forces withdrew from the country.
16 local time, the Taliban said it would not punish and persecute Afghans who had worked with the Americans. “We will not punish them, we will not arrest them or seize their property,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told MSNBC. Shaheen also said the Taliban would not try to scare Afghans into fear and prompt them to leave the country.
