Manmohan offers Kabul security help

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (R) and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) attend the inauguration of Habibia High School in Kabul Sunday. Singh became the first Indian premier to visit Afghanistan in nearly three decades, pledging to battle terrorism in talks with Karzai amid rising violence in the war-battered country. PHOTO: AFP

Singh, speaking at a ceremony to unveil the foundation stone for a new Afghan parliament being built with Indian help, said democracies had to work together to deal with global terrorism.

"We are ready to work with the government and people of Afghan-istan to ensure that Afghanistan will never again be hostage to, or become a haven for, terrorists," Singh said.

Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers let Osama bin Laden run al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. US forces invaded in late 2001 after the Taliban refused to give up bin Laden, wanted for the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Open societies, whether old or young, are equally threatened today by the rise of global terrorism," Singh said.

"Afghanistan has a unique position in this alliance of democracies that are fighting this menace," he said.

India is among Afghanistan's top aid donor nations and has committed aid of about $500 million. Singh pledged another $50 million on Sunday.

India has not been giving the government of President Hamid Karzai military assistance -- the United States is training the new Afghan army -- but it is involved in training police and diplomats.

Afghanistan is holding parliamentary and provincial elections next month, almost a year after Karzai won a five-year term.