Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said India was ready to firmly deal with any possible terror activity originating from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

India, he said, had been anticipating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, but the timelines of the developments were surprising. He was speaking at an interactive session organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, was present at the event.

The possibility of terrorist activities from Afghanistan impacting India was expected and contingency plans were put in place to deal with such a challenge, said Gen Rawat. He suggested the quadrilateral or the ‘Quad’ nations could share intelligence inputs to fight this global war on terrorism. Quad comprises India, US, Japan and Australia.

The US Admiral referred to challenges that India had been facing, specifically with regard to “sovereignty on the LAC as well as the foundational security concerns” in the South China Sea region, in a clear reference to China’s aggressive behaviour.

Admiral Aquilino largely talked about challenges facing the Indo-Pacific, noting that it was the most consequential region for the future.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 25th August, 2021