-AP Photo

WASHINGTON: The United States had its special forces in India and was working with the Indians to contain Lashkar-e-Taiba, a senior American military official told a congressional panel.

In his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard defined LeT as a “very dangerous” security threat to the entire South Asian region.

The Indian government, however, has rejected the claim that US Special Forces were based in India, although they did not deny the admiral’s other claim that the two countries were working together to contain LeT.

“We have currently special forces assist teams — Pacific assist teams is the term — laid down in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as well as India,” Admiral Willard told the House committee.

“And we’re working very closely with India with regard to their counter-terrorism capabilities and in particular on the maritime domain but also government to government, not necessarily DOD but other agencies assisting them in terms of their internal counter-terror and counter-insurgency challenges.”

Earlier, Congressman Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, described LeT as “a joint enemy” of India and Pakistan, which led the “murderous assault” on Mumbai in 2008. “What efforts are being made to counteract that level of terrorism?” he asked.

“Lashkar-e-Taiba is very dangerous, Pakistani-based, and a lot of international design in terms of their aspirations. So it’s a very important threat, and we’re working very closely with the nations in the region to help contain it,” Admiral Willard said.

In New Delhi, a spokesman for the Indian Defence Ministry told reporters on Friday that Admiral Willard’s claim that US special forces teams were based in India was “factually incorrect”.

“The report is factually incorrect in so far as the reference to India is concerned,” the spokesman said.

“US special forces teams have never been stationed in India in the past, nor are such teams stationed in the country presently,” he said.

Admiral Willard said the LeT was affiliated with Al Qaeda “and contributes to terrorist operations in Afghanistan and aspires to operate against Asia, Europe and North America”.

Responding to Congressman Wilson, the US admiral said Pacific Command’s Indian Engagement Initiative resourced and hosted Mumbai counter-terrorist specialists for training exercises and exchanges throughout the US.

Together with capacity-building activities with South Asian partners this was mainly focused on containing LeT and contributing to counter-terrorism self-sufficiency of the sub-region’s militaries, he said.

Admiral Willard noted that South Asia was home to a confluence of challenges, including nuclear armed India and Pakistan, numerous transnational groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, piracy, trafficking in narcotics and persons, disputed borders, and insurgent movements that have plagued India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Asked what the status of partnership between the United States and India was, the admiral said: “The relationship with India is strong and growing stronger” but was not without challenges.

Admiral Willard noted that the Indian “pride themselves in what they term strategic autonomy”, which had created challenges in bilateral relationship.

India, he said, sought to balance its associations with many other nations as well. “We’re challenged in our relationship with Pakistan as a consequence of the animosity that has existed historically between India, Pakistan,” the US military official said.