ITBP planning to send more men to Afghan

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI

July 7: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is contemplating sending more troops to Afghanistan in the wake of Monday’s suicide blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul on Monday. Senior ITBP officials told this newspaper that a decision on this front is expected as soon as the high-level team, consisting of officials of the ministry of external affairs, ministries of home and defence, who have gone to Kabul, return. "They are expected to return on Tuesday. Any decision to send more troops to Afghanistan will be taken after that," sources said.

"It is the ministry of external affairs which has to take a call," said a senior ITBP official. Specifying that there is a need to augment the existing security set-up at the embassy and consulates of India in Afghanistan, the official said that Monday’s suicide attack has come as a wake-up call to speed-up the move. "It was a deadly attack. There is a definite need to review the security arrangements in Kabul," said the official.

Presently, a total of 400 ITBP personnel are deployed in Afghanistan. Out of this, 258 personnel are engaged in general security duties while the rest are providing security to the embassy and consulates of India in Afghanistan. Monday’s suicide attack has killed two ITBP constables. They were identified as Roop Singh and Ajay Pathania.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary force back home is working on enhancing the training infrastructure of the force besides the weaponry being used, communication and transport systems. A proposal of giving the ITBP a "satellite facility’’ is still "pending’’ with the home ministry. "The satellite facility will help in quicker communication," revealed an ITBP official.