Delhi, Kabul ink 2 accords to boost ties

$50m aid for Afghans
By Pallab bhattacharya, New Delhi
India yesterday announced a 50 million dollar aid to Afghanistan and the two countries signed two agreements on cooperation in education and rural development after visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Terrorism and resurgence of the ousted Taliban topped the agenda of talks between Karzai and Sing at the Hyderabad House here and the two sides agreed to pool in knowledge and experience in combating the problem.

Officials said the regrouping of the Taliban threatens the entire region and not Afghanistan alone.

The convergence between New Delhi and Kabul on security issue assumes significance as Afghanistan is threatened by the Taliban and al-Qaeda within the country and on its border to the east while India too faces the problem of cross-border terrorism, officials here point out.