Pentagon willing to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation with India

Pentagon has expressed willingness to enhance its co-operation with India in the fields of maritime security and counter-terrorism.

In a report submitted to the US Congress, Pentagon has identified maritime security and counter-terrorism co-operation as an important pillar of military to military co-operation between the two countries. It said,on the counter-terrorism front, the United States continues to focus on Al-Qaeda and other terrorist threats that emanate from South Asia.

The report said, for some of these groups, particularly Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), India remains the primary target. LeT’s activities continue to threaten US interests and South Asian regional stability also.

Therefore, US will continue to follow the guidance of its National Strategy for Counter-terrorism which calls for joining with key partners, like India, to share the burdens of common security goals.

The Pentagon said that the US Navy would like to work with the Indian Navy to improve capabilities to perform higher-end, operational missions in the Indian Ocean region as the strategic context dictates.