NEW DELHI, Nov 10: The United States sees Pakistan as an equal victim of terrorism that afflicts much of South Asia and hopes for the success of a mechanism against terrorism that would be discussed by the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan next week, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher said here on Friday. Addressing a wide range of issues at a news conference, Mr Boucher denied that the US military was involved in the recent attack on a madressah in Bajaur. He appeared to accept Pakistan's official version that those killed in the assault on the border town were militants.

Mr Boucher said he expected progress at next week's foreign secretary-level talks between Delhi and Islamabad to push a peace process that had stalled after the July 11 Mumbai train blasts.

"That's a very good thing. That shows that both sides are interested in dealing with their issues directly and together. That is certainly the obvious preference of anybody who is not directly involved," Mr Boucher said.

The United States has welcomed the setting up of the mechanism to talk directly and work directly on the terrorism problems, he said. "Many of the terrorism problems that India faces -- we all face in this region -- are the ones Pakistan faces as well. President Musharraf has made it clear he wants to rid his society of violent extremism. He wants to move the nation to a more moderate course, a more democratic course. That is something in all our interest."

Mr Boucher's comment bore a striking resemblance to the view expressed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently when he said Pakistan was an equal victim of terror.

On the joint mechanism to fight terrorism to be discussed by the foreign secretaries, Mr Boucher said: "I hope that the mechanism to discuss terrorism can be a useful thing that produces outcomes not just for political relationships between the governments but produces outcomes that can help stop terrorism that hurts people…And we hope they can make progress on some of the big political issues that stand between India and Pakistan. I'll come back next week and ask people how it all went."

While the United States looks forward to the discussions between the foreign secretaries, Mr Boucher did believe that the issue of terrorism did go back to its origins in Pakistan.

"Many of the links that have been talked about that have been seen, do go back to groups that have origins and ties into Pakistan. But some of these groups, actually all of the groups, really, have been banned and outlawed in Pakistan as well.”