Lashkar Expanding Operations to All South Asian Countries: US Official
A top US military official has said that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), considered predominately a threat to India, is swiftly expanding its operations to other countries of South Asia including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said media reports.
In his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Commander of the US Pacific Command Robert Willard said that the dangerously expanding influence of LeT was an issue of concern for the Obama Administration, said reports.
“Right now our concern is the movement of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist group that emanates from Pakistan that was responsible for the Mumbai attacks in India, and specifically their positioning in Bangladesh and Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka,” Willard was quoted as saying in response to a question from Senator George Lemieux.
He said that America was working ‘very closely with the Indians’ and within to formulate needed plans to counter LeT and its movement into the Asia-Pacific region, reports said.
In response to a question if LeT is a regional threat or a threat to India, the official said that Lashkar was predominately a threat to India, as of now, said reports.
“We’re attempting to develop a further understanding of the extent to which they’re a regional threat. If you’ll recall, Lashkar-e-Taiba was evidenced in Chicago with the arrest of Headley,” he was quoted a saying.
“And we have certainly knowledge of their influence within the region beyond the countries that I just mentioned. The extent of that influence is what we’re taking understudy,” he was quoted as saying.
Responding to a question asked by Senator Daniel Akaka, Willard said that over the last decade, the military-to-military relationship with India had been developing and service-to-service type interaction started at the tactical level, said reports.
Willard also referred to the growing military sales relationship with India, pointing to India’s interest in acquiring US-produced military hardware.
“So in my engagement with India – and I just returned about three weeks ago from a military-to- military exchange with them – we discussed in great detail their interest in acquiring US systems.
“So I would offer that not only is India now an economic and regional power, certainly in the Indian Ocean region, but it has global implications as well,” Willard was quoted as saying.
Willard said India’s strategic location, shared democratic values, growing economy and evolution as a regional partner and power combine to make them the partner with whom the US needs to work much more closely, reports said.
(Based on internet reports)
