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Washington: Developing strategic partnership with India is a critical element of President Donald Trump's South Asia strategy, a senior administration official said Thursday noting that there were encouraging results of the move.

"The United States welcomes India's substantial investment in and assistance to Afghanistan. And we will continue to support efforts to achieve an honourable and enduring outcome in Afghanistan that preserves our investment in Afghanistan's future," said Nancy Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan Affairs.

Speaking at the event, Indian ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla said India has played an active role in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan since 2001. India has completed 400 social infrastructure projects in this war-torn country and another 150 were under way, he said.

All the Indian projects are undertaken in partnership with the Afghan government and are spread across each and every of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in diverse fields of development, including education, healthcare, infrastructure, administrative capacity, flood control, irrigation, agriculture, sports, he said.

"So far, close to 400 social infrastructure projects have been completed and 150 projects are under various stages of progress covering all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.... Under our New

Development Partnership, several important projects focused on developmental needs and priorities of Afghanistan have been identified for implementation including Shahtoot Dam and drinking water project for Kabul city, low-cost housing for returning Afghan refugees in Nangarhar province, among many others, he said.

"These projects are a reflection of India's enduring commitment towards Afghanistan's reconstruction," Shringla said, adding, "India is committed to support Afghanistan in its journey to emerge as a united, sovereign, democratic, peaceful, stable, prosperous and inclusive nation."

Delivering the keynote address to 'The India-Afghanistan Relationship: Examining Historical, Political, Economic, and Cultural Ties', organised by think tank Hudson Institute, Jackson said, "For too long, the Taliban have taken comfort in their conviction that our fight is unsustainable."

"Our friends and adversaries should understand that our interest in protecting American citizens is enduring, as we advance in a responsible way forward toward a peace settlement that will benefit not only Afghans, but the entire region, Jackson said in a warning to the terrorist organisations operating from the region.

According to the US official, the US Administration understands that the American people are ready to end the war in Afghanistan while remaining committed to countering the threat of terrorism from groups anywhere in the region.

"In 2017, the President's South Asia strategy acknowledged that military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising from that country, she said. Rather, the American military effort is designed to create conditions for a negotiated settlement.

This effort involves military resolve in Afghanistan, with decisions based on conditions on the ground, she told the Washington DC audience. Another critical element of the President's South Asia strategy is for America to further develop its strategic partnership with India the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States, Jackson said.

The senior State Department official appreciated India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, including USD 3 billion in civilian assistance since 2001. For our part, we remain committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region, she said.

We have seen encouraging signs over the last 18 months that the South Asia strategy is working, and is beginning to set conditions for a political settlement that includes the Taliban, the Afghan government and other Afghans, including women's groups, said the US official.

An inclusive political settlement, in turn, will lay the groundwork for political stability and an improvement in security conditions, she said. At the same time, she said that no one should be under any illusion that a political settlement will immediately mean an end to violence. There will still be violent extremist groups like ISIS, and there will still be armed groups pursuing their own criminal or political objectives, she said.

A comprehensive peace agreement will, however, enable Afghans to work together to fight these common threats, including the threat posed by the international terrorist organisations that threaten our societies, Jackson said.

India and the United States, who want to see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, also share an interest in an economically self-sufficient and prosperous Afghanistan. India and the United States are among Afghanistan's largest trading partners, with both of our countries doing about USD 1 billion in annual bilateral trade with Afghanistan, Jackson said.

India has done much to help Afghanistan's development, from the construction of dams, roads, electrical lines, irrigation systems, and telecommunications infrastructure to building a stadium in Kandahar for Afghanistan's cricket team, she said.

India is helping the Afghan Red Crescent Society treat children with congenital heart disease. India provides scholarships to 1,000 Afghan students each year out of the 16,000 Afghans who are studying in India, she told the audience.

Referring to the USAID-sponsored Passage to Prosperity India-Afghanistan International Trade and Investment Shows, Jackson said it has been attended by hundreds of Afghan businesses and thousands of Indian private sector representatives. The 2018 Passage to Prosperity event resulted in nearly USD350 million in deals between Indian and Afghan businesses, and this year's event was a similar success.

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US Backs India's Role in 'Investing, Assisting' Afghanistan as it Looks to Withdraw Troops - News18

The bodies of 28 Afghan refugees on Friday were repatriated to the southwestern province of Nimroz of Afghanistan from Iran, local officials confirmed.

The refugees died in a traffic accident in an attempt to travel illegally to Turkey, said Mohammad Ibrahim Amini, head of the Nimroz Police media office.

The accident occurred when two vans collided near the town of Khash in Sistan and Baluchistan, according to AP, and 21 passengers were injured as well.

Ibrahimi said most of those killed in the accident are from the western province of Ghor.

Last week the incident was reported by Iranian officials, who said 28 people were killed and 30 others were wounded.

According to the Nimroz Provincial Council, quoted by DW, most of the refugees are from Ghor while others are from Farah and Badakhshan provinces.

The council said that the age of the refugees ranged from 14 to 45 years old.

Iran hosts almost two million refugees from Afghanistan who seek refuge there in search of work, AP reports, and the area is frequently used by traffickers to smuggle illegal Afghan migrants, usually in overcrowded vehicles.

Also according to AP, Iran has one of the worlds worst traffic safety records, due to disregard of traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services, and each year approximately 17,000 people die in accidents in Iran.

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Pakistans current government is committed to trust-based friendly bilateral relations with Afghanistan and is working to utilize every possible channel to improve bilateral ties, said Usman Dar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, while speaking to the participants of the Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders Summit 2019.

It is so heartening to see young leaders from both the countries, sitting together side by side under a single roof, Dar said of the gathering organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and the Afghan Studies Center as part of its cross-border Track 1.5/II initiative. This meeting of young leaders gives us hope, even in the often politically charged up environment, he said, adding the world we live in today is far better than it was thirty years ago. The credit goes to youngster like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg; they changed the face of the earth. We want the same from the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both need to invest in human capital. This is where Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to carve out a bright future for the next generation, he said.

Usman Dar also gave good news to the Afghan youth present at the summit, saying that he will personally request and ask Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan to increase the number of scholarships for Afghans.

Mehnaz Akber Aziz, Member National Assembly of Pakistan and also an educationist, while speaking on the occasion, was of the view that if Pakistan and Afghanistan have to grow in an inclusive manner, they will have to prioritize and invest equitably in young people. as the economic potential of the country can only be unleashed by embracing its young population as its most valued resource for sustained growth. With over 64% of the total population below the age of 30, Pakistan is currently one of the youngest countries in the world, where as 63% of Afghanistans 27.5 million people are under the age of 25. We have to make an effort to turn them into a demographic dividend, added Mehnaz.

She also suggested education diplomacy between Kabul and Islamabad, as it is the one of the contemporary approaches which can play an effective role in bringing the two nations closer in a constructive way.

Building on the earlier perspectives to bridge the gap between two countries, senior journalist Rehman Azhar proposed fusion of arts, culture, music and literature. He was of the opinion that arts and culture transcend boundaries; it helps make people understand each other. Regarding media Rehman Azhar was happy to share with the audience that youth of both the countries are very smart. Though, media may be playing a negative role and instigates blame game, but youngsters dont trust media anymore. We shouldnt be avoiding the difference; we should be having a dialogue and resolve our difference in a decent way, Rehman stated.

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Aishwarya Airy and Kim Hjelmgaard Published 3:29 a.m. ET Nov. 20, 2019 | Updated 4:51 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2019

In this Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017 file photo, A US military helicopter flies over the site of a suicide bomb that struck a NATO convoy in Kandahar south of Kabul, Afghanistan. In an "open letter" to U.S. President Donald Trump, Afghanistan's Taliban on Tuesday reiterated their call for a withdrawal of troops to end the protracted war.(Photo: STR, AP)

Two American service members were killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said without providing further details.

The crash is under investigation but the military saidpreliminary reportsindicated the incidentwas not caused by enemy fire, despite aclaim from the Taliban that itshot down a helicopter in eastern Logar province, causing fatalities.

The deaths of the service membersbrings the number of U.S. combatfatalitiesthis year in Afghanistan to 19. Approximately 14,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, and 2,400 U.S. soldiers have died in the U.S.-led war since 2001.

The U.S. military statement saidthat in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members killed in action would bewithheld until 24 hours after notification of their next of kin is complete.

A U.S. service member last died in Afghanistan on Sept. 16 and Wednesday's crash comes amid signsthe U.S.,Taliban and Afghan government aretrying to restart peace talks after President Donald Trump canceled them after aTaliban suicide-bomb attack in Kabul on Sept.5that killed a U.S.soldier and11 others.

Two Western hostages, one American and one Australian, were freed by the Taliban on Tuesdayafter more than three years in captivity. Their release was part ofa prisoner exchange that freedthree high-profile Taliban members from the militant organization's fearedHaqqani network, known for targeting civilians.

More: Bombs, missiles falling at record pace in long-running Afghanistan war

More: Taliban frees American, Australian hostages as part of prisoner swap

SOURCE ESRI(Photo: USA TODAY)

Trump wantsthe majority of U.S. forces home from Afghanistan by next year and he has sought to bring together U.S. negotiators and representatives from the Taliban and the Afghan government. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has signaledthe White House views the prisoner exchange as agoodwill gesture from the Taliban that could pave the way for a revival of the peace talks.

These talks were scheduled to beheld in September at the U.S. Camp David presidential retreat, but collapsed after the Sept. 5. suicide-bomb attack.

In a tweet Wednesday, Trump suggested the peace talks might get back on track. "We join families of Kevin King & Tim Weeks in celebrating their release from Taliban captivity," the president wrote. "Lets hope this leads to more good things on the peace front like a ceasefire that will help end this long war," he added.

The Taliban often claims responsibility for attacks on U.S.-led forcesand spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid insisted in an interview it shot down the helicopter as "American invaders and their hirelings" raided Taliban posts. Mujahid addedit was not unusual for Taliban fighters to engage with U.S. and Afghan military forces even when there are peace talks, or potential ones, taking place. He also said that it was now the responsibility of the U.S. to make "peace arrangements possible."

Airy reported from Washington, D.C.; Hjelmgaard from London

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Two American service members killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash - USA TODAY

A hail of bullets rained down from the skies overhead, hitting the ground in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. The rapid-fire artillery sounds filled my ears as I stood still underneath the small embassy awning.

Naively, I didnt know that bullets fired into the air could travel up to a mile high. Then, depending on the angle they were fired at and their aerodynamics, anyone hit in the embassy courtyard would be dead.

Standing in front of the embassy, I could feel the tightness in my quadriceps from the fear.

Teacher, one of my Afghan workshop participants shouted to me, dont stand in front of the embassy! Get to the bomb shelter! Were being attacked!

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It was lunchtime on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend in 2006. I was in Kabul for the third time, and it was my final day of the professional leadership development training I conducted before the holiday weekend.

Twenty-four Afghans successfully completed my two-week workshops. They were to receive a certificate of completion during a ceremony with an embassy official present.

To celebrate, we planned to have local cuisine together in an Army hooch (a temporary shelter), where the cuisine was served, have some cake, and play some Afghan music.

The successes of my previous two visits for training prompted the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to ask me to come back again to provide another series of workshops for the locally engaged staff, formerly referred to as Foreign Service nationals.

The workshops included basic and advanced communications skills training, conflict resolution, and negotiation skills. I also offered professional one-on-one or small group coaching for Afghans who needed extra help with how to understandand to get along withtheir American diplomat bosses.

My days at the embassy compound started with a 7 a.m. breakfast. I went early to see our U.S. troops coming in to eat after staying out all night in the mountains fighting the Taliban.

The men, most of them no more than 19 to 21 years of age, were dusty-looking, with tired faces. After eating and a few hours of shut-eye, the troops went back to fighting.

Sometimes, we engaged in small talk about what was happening back in the U.S. With total respect, Maam seemed to be every other word spoken to me, as often as the words please and thank you.

These men made up the majority of the International Security Assistance Force of aNATO-led security mission inAfghanistan, established by theU.N. Security Councilin December 2001 in response to the attacks on 9/11.

Afghan Allies With a Price on Their Heads

The Afghan men and women of the embassy and the U.S. Agency for International Development were considered traitors by the Taliban.

Each of my Afghan class participants who worked for the U.S. Embassy and USAID had bounties on their heads. Although they were the higher-paid Afghans working for our government, they exited the gates of the embassys sovereign U.S. soil at great risk that they could be killed.

To make matters worse, their families were added to the Talibans hit list as well. These men and women took a great chance believing in our country, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Afghanistans freedom and security.

Amid a pause in the gunfire, I quickly scurried across the courtyard to the tunnel that connected the U.S. Embassy to USAID and the living quarters. From a security perspective, it was built to sustain a significant mortar hit or a bomb blast. The tunnel was deep and wide enough to hold embassy and staff personnel.

When I entered, there was a young man in his early 20s barking out orders for a number of us to be quiet and listen.

He gave us commands on what we needed to do to, which included leaving the tunnel, which I originally entered for safety. In my mind, I exclaimed, I dont want to go back out into the line of fire again!

However, since my life and the lives of embassy personnel and other contractors were at stake and completely dependent on our U.S. troops, we shook our heads in agreement and obeyed.

At that point, you could hear more activity going on until another lull in the gunfire. The young man, now accompanied by other fully armed troops, quickly led us out of the tunnel and into the embassy to safety.

Gurkha warriors from Nepal were our partners and helped to guard our embassy. They were short, stout, serious men who were extremely loyal to the United States.

The young commander told one of the Gurkhas that if he saw unknown activity on embassy property to shoot to killno questions asked. In response, the Gurkha saluted in agreement.

Inside the embassy, we were split up, according to security clearance. Then-Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, appointed by then-President George W. Bush, spoke fluent Dari to the Afghan staff who were also protected inside the embassy.

For four hours, there was fighting. Fifteen Afghans who attacked the embassy were killed.

Before the cellphone lines became jammed, I was able to get one quick call out to my parents to tell them we were being attacked. (I think the shock of the information I shared with them didnt register until much later.)

At the end of the fighting, I had a headache, felt lightheaded, and my body was limp, realizing what had just happened. I went to my hooch and fell asleep.

The next day was Saturday. I went to every service member I saw and felt compelled to thank them for saving us. I cried uncontrollably and could not keep a straight face. I also thanked the Gurkhas, who guarded the embassy doors, and cried again.

It was trauma I was experiencing, but it was also a gratefulness I couldnt explain.

I was overcome realizing the sacrifice these troops make because they zealously believe in what it is to be an American, to protect and serve, and to risk (and possibly give) their lives for our freedom and to fight against evil terrorists.

My Small Show of Thanks

There are nearly 19 million military veterans alive today. They fought and served honorably. These true heroes and heroines must always be deeply appreciated for their service and the lives they were prepared to risk, all for the ideal of American freedom and democracy.

Last month, I ran in the Army Ten-Miler road race for the second time, beginning at the Pentagon. Just prior to the start of the race, and after the national anthem, Black Hawkhelicopters flewoverhead. They stayed with all 35,0000 of us runners along the route. We all knew we were in the safest place on the planet.

I come from a family of military heroes, and I still get choked up remembering my experience in Kabul and how those of us who were there would not be here today were it not for them.

Taking part in the Army Ten-Milers is my small way of thanking the troops I will never meet for what they do for our country, our world, and what they did for me personally.

This article by Yvonne Davis first appeared at the Daily Signal.

Image: Reuters.

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