NEW DELHI: Afghanistan on Friday lauded India’s “bold” decision to conduct surgical strikes in “self defence” to neutralise terrorists provided safe sanctuaries across the border; and contended that time has come to take the fight across the border to strike at the “roots of terrorism”.
Afghanistan’s Envoy to India Dr. Shaida M. Abdali on Friday empathized with India as it has also borne the brunt of the state-sponsored terrorism from its neighbour and contended that the time has come to take bold and risky decisions to combat terrorism.
“Terrorism will threaten us all if we do not combat it. Therefore we feel that the time has come for tough action against terrorists. There will be risk and cost involved in such measures but we have to undertake them because the time has come for us to combat this force. If terror groups continue violence, then the actions taken (by India) will continue,” Abdali said supporting the “pre-emptive strikes” undertaken by the Indian Army in the wee hours of September 29.
He was among one of the 22 Ambassadors briefed by Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on the context in which the action was taken and made public in an unprecedented media briefing. Afghanistan has proved to be an ally for India as it also pulled out from the SAARC Summit citing preoccupation of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in fighting “imposed terrorism”.
Dr. Abdali extended his support to fight going on in Balochistan. “We have fought terrorism and will fight it now for the Baloch and the Pashtuns of Pakistan,” he said and added, “there is no doubt that state sponsorship of terrorism exists in Pakistan and the war of terror therefore cannot be fought in Afghanistan but at its roots where it originates and finds sanctuaries”.
The Afghan envoy also said that he can see Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking "bold decisions" and emphasised that there was a need for the leaderships in the region and the governments to take bold decisions and "risks in order to free ourselves (from terrorism) for good".