India will deliver four attack helicopters to Afghanistan ahead of spring fighting season in the country, Afghan envoy has reportedly said.

It follows an a trilateral agreement made between Afghanistan, Belarus and India for the refurbished Mi-24 helicopters earlier this month, Ambassador Shaida Abdali said in an interview non Monday, the Hindustan Times reported.

"We recently were able to sign a trilateral MoU...India will be paying for the four Mi-24s (which will be delivered) in the next few months. All the four helicopters (will be) paid (for) by India," he said.

Afghanistan took lead for security after most of international forces left the country in 2014. The country is seeking to develop its Air Force and it has reached out also India for assistance.

"India has been kind enough to agree to that request... Afghanistan will have ready helicopters that will be used in the coming season," Abdali said.

India supplied four Mi-24s to the Afghan Air Force during 2015-16, marking a significant shift from its earlier reluctance to provide lethal military equipment. However, some of these helicopters had been grounded because of the lack of spares and India is working on plans to help repair and refurbish these Mi-24s and other Russian-origin helicopters and transport aircraft of the Afghan Air Force, Abdali added.

Commenting on Pakistan, the Afghan envoy said that terrorism continues to spread from the country.

"No one can shy away from the fact that terrorism continues to spread from within Pakistan," Abdali said. "The fact of the matter is terrorist groups still have found the place to live freely, and to cross and to then hurt others."

He said terror attacks in Afghanistan had increased after the US announced its South Asia policy. "More terrorist activity has just one message for me personally - to look at this as if (it�s a) no to a call that don�t use terrorism. The ball is in the world community�s court and we have to respond," he said.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/9850

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