As Afghanistan challenges grow, India and US double down on ties, coordination

As developments in Afghanistan throw up whole new challenges, India and US are doubling down on their partnership.
Government sources said on the ground in Kabul, the US prioritised Indian aircraft at the airport which is currently under their control, to enable India to evacuate its embassy staff and officials in an Indian Air Force aircraft. This helped India move swiftly and virtually in the nick of time.
On Wednesday, Taliban reportedly erected roadblocks and checkpoints in different parts of Kabul severely impacting movement of people heading to the airport. Kabul airport is under US control, which, sources here say, India is depending on to get its people out of Afghanistan in the coming days.
Foreign minister S Jaishankar discussed Afghanistan with his US counterpart Antony Blinken minutes after he landed in New York on Tuesday. Soon afterwards, he tweeted, "Discussed latest developments in Afghanistan with @SecBlinken. Underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard."
News reports say the US will have close to 6,000 troops to secure Kabul airport in the next couple of days. NSA Ajit Doval too had a conversation with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan on the future of Afghanistan.
India and US, sources said, may have had divergent views on how to deal with Afghanistan, but in the changed environment, greater convergences are being built.
In the changing geopolitical context particularly in the extended region, growing political convergences between Russia, China and Pakistan, particularly with a Taliban-led Afghanistan at the centre is drawing the US and India closer. This could have major implications for regional security and great power competition.
The new informal grouping could have Qatar and Turkey playing peripheral but important roles. For instance, reports said the supposed “deal” to put the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan was struck in Turkey, while Qatar had promised to facilitate movement of diplomats and foreigners out of Kabul.
Russia says it has kept its diplomats in Kabul and the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov was quoted as saying by Moscow's Ekho Moskvy radio station "The situation in Kabul is better now (under Taliban) than it was under Ashraf Ghani.”
On Tuesday, the Taliban leadership drove into Kandahar from Pakistan, once again highlighting the close relations between them.