Terrorism. ---

US, India sign counter-terror pact

By Pratap Chakravarty (AFP) – 13 hours ago

NEW DELHI — India and the United States on Friday pledged closer security ties to combat terrorist threats, a day after the US military's top officer warned extremists could try to stage fresh attacks on the South Asian country.

The India-US Counter Terrorism Cooperation Initiative signed by officials Friday calls for closer cooperation between the two countries' commando and special forces, an Indian government statement said.

The agreement came after top US diplomatic and military officials warned of fresh attempts by militant groups to push nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan into war.

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said he feared extremists would attempt another operation similar to the 2008 Mumbai attacks to goad India into armed retaliation against its neighbour.

India said the pact also aims to increase "exchanges between coast guards and the navy on maritime security" and establish procedures to undertake joint investigations.

Timothy Roemer, the US ambassador to India, who signed the agreement on behalf of Washington, said it would go a long way to strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

"Today, with the formal signing of the initiative, we take several significant steps forward against terrorism," Roemer told reporters.

"In the coming days and months there will be even closer information-sharing and collaborative efforts on issues ranging from bomb blast probe and major event security to mega-city policing, cyber and border security," he said.

The diplomat said the pact was forged on the sidelines of a state visit to the United States by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last November.

"President (Barack) Obama and the (Indian) prime minister have acknowledged the common threat that international terrorism poses to all people," Roemer added.

Signed in the form of a memorandum of understanding, the accord will also enhance cooperation in tracking money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the home ministry statement said.

Mullen, on a two-day visit to India, said the memorandum underlined a growing strategic alliance between the two countries, including military and security ties as well as trade and economic cooperation.

The US-India relationship "has grown dramatically in recent years," Mullen said, and he called for further bolstering military relations.