US backs continuing role for India in Afghanistan – official

The United States has said that it supported sustained Indian involvement in Afghanistan, even as President Donald Trump looks to withdraw US troops.

India is one of the backers of Afghanistan’s government, contributing more than $3 billion since the 2001 US-led invasion toppled the Taliban, who'd harbored anti-Indian militants, according to AFP.

The US “welcomes India’s substantial investment in and assistance to Afghanistan,” Nancy Izzo Jackson, a State Department official in charge of Afghanistan, said on Thursday.

India constructed Afghanistan’s new parliament building and has also wooed Afghans with its soft power, including Bollywood films. However, India’s involvement in Afghanistan has been a cause of consternation for neighbor and rival Pakistan.