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NEW DELHI — The Indian government is evaluating the possibility of stationing troops in Afghanistan after the international forces begin leaving the country in 2014. An Indian Ministry of Defence source said no decision has yet been taken, but the possibility of putting boots in Afghanistan is under consideration by the Indian government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is visiting New Delhi May 20-22 and the issue of stationing of Indian troops is likely to be discussed, said an official of the Indian External Affairs Ministry. “It is in India’s interest to enhance security and defense cooperation with Afghanistan,” added the...

WASHINGTON: American conservatives trying to torpedo the confirmation of Senator Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for US defence secretary, have pulled out an "India card". Hagel has been accused of fingering India for its alleged disruptive role against Pakistan in Afghanistan. A shocked New Delhi, which sees Hagel as a friend, angrily denied any suggestion that India is a troublemaker in the region. The provocative remark, in which Senator Hagel accuses New Delhi of "financing problems" for Pakistan in Afghanistan, was dredged out by a conservative publication on the eve of his confirmation hearing which his former Republican colleagues have...

New Delhi/Washington: India has sharply rejected that it "financed problems" in Afghanistan to create trouble for Pakistan, as alleged by Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's Defence Secretary nominee. Despite the controversy, the US Senate on Tuesday cleared the way for confirmation of Mr Hagel to be the US' next Defense Secretary. The confirmation is expected later in the day. "Senator Hagel's remarks are in sharp contrast to the viewpoint of the Obama Administration that has always been in praise of India's developmental role in Afghanistan and in fact has been pressing New Delhi to do more in Afghanistan," a statement...

The leaders of Afghanistan and India have signed a strategic partnership agreement during a visit by President Hamid Karzai to Delhi.Mr Karzai met Indian PM Manmohan Singh, who said violence in Afghanistan was undermining security in South Asia. He also said that India would "stand by Afghanistan" when foreign troops withdraw from the country in 2014. Mr Karzai's visit follows a series of attacks which have damaged ties between Kabul and India's rival, Pakistan. Correspondents say the increasingly close relationship between Kabul and Delhi will be viewed with some suspicion by Pakistan, which sees Afghanistan as its backyard.