December 28, 2018

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw about half of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan could have major security implications for India, which is highly vulnerable to internal instability in the war-torn country.

A weaker American presence in the Islamic republic is widely expected to embolden local militant groups such as the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 before losing power to a U.S.-led coalition. "A gradual descent into a civil war is likely as various regional stakeholders try to reshape the battlefield in accordance with their own strategic priorities counting on American forces to eventually leave," Harsh Pant, distinguished fellow at Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation, wrote in a note this week.

Should the Taliban strengthen its grip in Afghanistan, its influence could subsequently spread to neighboring Pakistan and Kashmir, which would be bad news for India.

Read more:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/28/donald-trumps-us-troop-withdrawals-in-afghanistan-impact-india.html