Defense minister says Russia to train Afghan officers Fri Sep 6, 3:46 PM ET
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - Russia will train junior officers from the fledgling Afghan army at a base in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday after a trip to Afghanistan ( news - web sites).
"In Kabul we announced the beginning of training of Afghan junior officers at the base of Russia's 201st division, headquartered on Tajikistan," Ivanov said in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, where he stopped briefly on his way back to Moscow.
Ivanov's one-day trip to Kabul, where he met with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, was the first post-Soviet visit to Afghanistan by a Russian defense minister. The Soviet army withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 after nearly a decade of war and occupation.
In Kabul, Ivanov said that "the Afghan side gratefully accepted our offer" to train Afghan army personnel," according to Russia's Interfax news agency. He also said Russia would supply the Afghan armed forces with military transport aircraft, communications equipment, vehicles and spare parts as well as fuel and lubricants, Interfax reported.
"One of the main tasks facing unfortunate Afghanistan is the creation of national armed forces. Russia, considering its modest capabilities, intends to assist Kabul in this matter," Interfax quoted Ivanov as saying. He said Russian would provide the military aid at no cost at first, but that the arrangement might be succeeded by trade when the Afghan economy improves.
Karzai traveled to Kabul to meet with Ivanov after surviving an assassination attempt Thursday in the southern city of Kandahar.
In a statement Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed "serious concern" over the assassination attempt and a car bombing in Kabul that killed 26 people.
"The hand of remaining Taliban and al-Qaida agents, who are displeased with the current positive changes on Afghan soil, is clearly visible behind these acts of terrorism," it said.
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