'India a natural ally of US in fight against terrorism'

Amritsar, Aug 26: Stressing that United States understands the security concerns of India, an American foreign policy expert today said that both the countries are "natural allies" in the fight against terrorism.

"The 9/11 sent a clear message to us that no one is safe and we can't ignore terrorist activities, which were assuming alarming proportions. The US and India are natural allies in the fight against terrorism," Prof Walter Russel Mead said.

Prof Mead was speaking at a lecture organised by the local Khalsa College on the topic 'US Foreign Policy'. He said that the two countries are worried about nuclear weapons in Pakistan falling into the "destructive hands" of terrorists.

"Lot of terrorists activities were emanating from Pakistan's soil where security scenario is turning worrisome as the state is turning weak against disruptive forces," the American expert said. Prof Mead added that the security scenario in the neighbouring country is so bad that even military officers remove their number plates, while moving from one place to another as they fear threat from terrorists.

PTI