India hosts regional moot on Afghanistan

MUMBAI: Diplomats and security analysts from Afghanistan’s neighbours, except China and Pakistan, gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss how to engage with the Taliban rulers, reports foreign media.

A joint statement released after the meeting said the eight participating nations also discussed threats according to a police officer speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity. Some of the troops are housed in civilian community halls that have been fortified with new sandbag bunkers, reminiscent of the early 1990s when an armed freedom struggle against Indian rule was at its peak.

That freedom struggle has significantly waned in the years since tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, were killed in the conflict. A dozen people have been gunned down since last month in what appeared to be targeted assassinations, including police, migrant workers from northern Indian states and local members of the Sikh and Hindu communities.

Police and paramilitary troops in bulletproof gear and wielding automatic rifles have intensified frisk searches of residents, including children, on the streets. Newly deployed troops are now visible around many new checkpoints.