Breaking the silence that followed after India's much-hyped "surgical strikes" against terrorists stationed along the Line of Control (LoC), the United States has come out in support of the country, saying that it has the "right to self-defence."
The Indian Army carried out surgical strikes at launch pads along the LoC on September 29 and foiled terrorists' attempt to infiltrate into India, killing about 38 militants and two Pakistani soldiers in the process. It happened a few days after terrorists killed 19 Indian soldiers in Uri.
President Barack Obama's special assistant and White House's point person for South Asian Affairs Peter Lavoy said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that India has the right to self-defence.
"India and US do have a shared interest in countering terrorism and protecting our societies from the scourge of terrorism and working together to diminish the ability of terrorist groups to threaten our countries and other countries throughout the world. You might have noticed," said Lavoy.
"It (Uri attack) was a horrific attack, we condemned it immediately and you noted in NSA's comments condemning the cross-border threat. Every country has a right to self-defence, but I also highlight that in a heavy militarised relationship like that of India-Pakistan, a relationship that has experienced at least three, four wars in the past and where forces along the LoC and the international border are on a hair-trigger alert, there really is a need for caution and prudence on both sides," he added.
Lavoy said that the US shares a strong commitment with India to prevent terror attacks in the future.
The US national security adviser Susan Rice had earlier strongly condemned the Uri terror attack, saying that Pakistan should take concrete action against terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
India and Pakistan relations has been severed after the Uri terror attack on September 18 that killed 19 India soldiers. Ten days later, Indian Army launched surgical strikes along the LoC and allegedly killed about 38 militants and two Pakistani soldiers, putting the region into a war-like situation.
