Violent extremism is among the most pervasive and urgent challenges in South Asia, US Pacific Command Commander (USPACOM) Admiral Robert Willard has told the US Congress’s Armed Forces Committee.
“Violent extremism is associated with a wide-range of activities, which include supporting insurgencies that seek political autonomy and fomenting conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan as a means of spreading radical Islamic ideology,” Zeenews reported Admiral Willard as saying.
The US was endeavouring to work with Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and India to particularly contain Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based extremist organisation responsible for the attacks on Mumbai.
“LeT involvement in the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India, validates India’s concerns regarding terrorist threats originating from outside India. Significantly, LeT deliberately targets westerners and specifically engages coalition forces in Afghanistan,” Willard said.
“Consequently, USPACOM continues to expand its relationships with host-nation militaries and CT agencies to increase regional capacities to counter this threat,” Willard said.
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