US offers India help to counter-terror in JK

New Delhi, Apr 20: The United States has offered India help in effectively combating ''fundamentalist Islamic terrorists'' in Jammu and Kashmir by sharing training and expertise.

Speaking at a global forum here, former US Pacific Command Commander-in-Chief Admiral (Retd) Dennis C Blair said India and America should jointly pursue the enduring common missions in areas such as maritime security, peacekeeping operations, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist training and in humanitarian responses. ''India in Jammu and Kashmir and the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq are facing fundamentalist Islamic terrorists who probably get trained at some of the same centres,'' he added.

To combat them effectively, Admiral Blair said India and the United States should share their experience and trade their skills.

''There are of course many policy questions to be worked out between the two countries if we are to conduct a joint counter- terror operation,'' he observed.

However, Admiral Blair said there was much that could be done between the United States and India to ensure that the two countries benefit from one another's best practices.

''...And those units are ready should the two governments decide to conduct a joint operation.'' he said.

The three-day IISS-CITI India Global Forum, which concluded here today, was organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an influential London-based think tank and a leading authority on political-military conflict.

UNI