Can India go after Mumbai masterminds in Pakistan? US not sure

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Can India go after Mumbai masterminds in Pakistan? US not sure

Washington, May 6 (IANS) Describing the commando operation that killed Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan as 'clearly unique', the US has declined to say if India had the same right to go after the masterminds of the Mumbai terror attack.

'I don't want to speculate too broadly about an operation that was clearly unique in the history of the United States and the history of the world,' State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Thursday when asked if it would support India if takes similar action against 26/11 perpetrators in Pakistan.

Here 'we had an individual who was possibly the most wanted man in the world and had perpetrated heinous crimes against not only American citizens but citizens around the globe', he said

'I don't want to draw too broadly a picture here,' Toner said. 'What we've said all along is that this was an individual where, when we had actionable intelligence against him, we acted upon that because we believed he was a direct and imminent threat to the United States.'

Reminded about certain individuals inside Pakistan who attacked the Indian parliament and who were responsible for killing hundreds of people in Mumbai, Toner said he was aware of all those cases.

'Our counterterrorism cooperation both with India and with Pakistan is ongoing and we believe that it's directed at exactly these kinds of elements,' he said.

But Toner made clear that US would again carry out a similar operation if needed despite warnings from Islamabad that any more violation of Pakistan's sovereignty will warrant a review on the level of military intelligence cooperation with the US.

'I can just say our position has been quite clear in that we believe this individual was a direct threat to the United States and to United States citizens, as well as the world,' he said. 'And when we have that kind of intelligence, actionable intelligence, we're going to take action.'

Toner said Obama administration was reaching out to members of Congress to listen to their concerns and to convey them to the Pakistani government.

'These are concerns, frankly, that we share - these concerns about possible support that he (Osama) may have received,' But Washington believed that 'it is in the fundamental interests of our nation to continue this kind of cooperation' with Pakistan.

'I think we're committed to this relationship. We believe it's in our national interest. That said, we've raised our concerns quite clearly, and we're going to wait to hear the response.'

Can India go after Mumbai masterminds in Pakistan? US not sure - Yahoo! News

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US brushes aside Indian operation against terrorists in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The United States, citing “unique” nature of Osama Bin Laden case, has brushed aside the notion that India could launch an operation against a terrorist hideout on Pakistani territory as the Americans did on Sunday. “I don’t want to speculate too broadly about an operation that was clearly unique in the history of the United States and the history of the world, where we had an individual who was possibly the most wanted man in the world and had perpetrated heinous crimes against not only American citizens but citizens around the globe,” a State Department spokesman said. Spokesman Mark Toner was pointedly asked if the same principle that the US used to justify Sunday’s raid in Abbottabad applied to other countries like India and if it would back New Delhi on such a move. He indicated that the current mode of anti-terror cooperation – encouraged by Washington – was the appropriate way to deal with terrorists. “Our counter-terrorism cooperation both with India and with Pakistan is ongoing and we believe that it’s directed at exactly these kind of elements,” the spokesman remarked, when an Indian journalist drew his attention to the case of 2008 Mumbai attack suspects. app

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