NEW DELHI, Sept 13: The United States sees the violent upsurge against Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorism, which it believes is akin in spirit and form to the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11, US Ambassador to India David Mulford has said.
"The attacks of 9/11 shocked men and women throughout the world and ended the lives of citizens from over 90 countries, including many Indians," Mr Mulford said in remarks at the weekend, made available on Monday.
In the aftermath of those horrible events, the United States and India embraced a completely new and common vow that terrorism must be confronted; that terrorism must be fought; and that terrorism must be ended. This joint undertaking applies to every corner of the United States. And it applies to every corner of India."
Mr Mulford said the recent attack on a school in Russia in which so many innocent men, women and children died is another example of barbarism. "And we should have no illusions about the motives of people who murder innocents for political reasons and who seek to undermine the very pillars of our democracies - in New York, in Washington, at the Parliament in New Delhi, in Mumbai, and too frequently in J&K.
"These people are simply terrorists, and we should always be sure to call them exactly that," Mr Mulford said. He said a shared threat from terrorism on the part of the United States and India had hastened the redefinition of "our relationship and helped drive our strategic partnership to new levels of depth, breadth and intensity."
