No Indian troops for Afghanistan: Nirmala

New Delhi: India on Tuesday ruled out deploying its troops in Afghanistan but will expand its development activities to help stabilize the war-torn country.

“There shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after talks with visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis here.

She said there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state policy.

There has been much speculation about India deploying troops in Afghanistan after US President Donald Trump called for greater Indian involvement in the war-torn country.

After delegation level discussions between the two ministers, India and the US also resolved to eradicate safe havens for terrorists across the globe.

“There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the U.S. resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge,” Mattis said in a statement.

With increasing Chinese presence in the region, both sides put great emphasis in expanding their expanding maritime cooperation.