India to get $4.5 mn US aid to fight terror

Washington, Apr 15: The Obama administration will double its anti-terrorism budget to India to $4.5 million for fighting terror.

This development came after India had requested for higher-level training from the United States in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai attacks

US Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Daniel Benjamin said, "Under our FY 2011 request, India's ATA bilateral budget would almost double, to $4.5 million, to meet the increasing political will on the part of the Indian government, which has requested more and higher-level training in the aftermath of the Mumbai attack."

He further said, "Anti-terrorism assistance or ATA continues to be US' flagship counter-terrorism law enforcement capacity-building programme, and its partner nations have registered several concrete success."

Benjamin said the Obama administration's request for Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF) is $1.2 billion for the fiscal 2011.

"Funds will continue to be targeted at building the capability of Pakistan's security forces directly engaged in counter-insurgency efforts in contested areas throughout the northwest frontier province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas," he said.

"We are actively working to ensure that the transition of PCCF management from the defence department to the state department is a smooth one," he added.

OneIndia News