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India might not show restraint if terrorists attack again, Gates says
Even as he warned against allowing extremist groups to provoke a regional clash in South Asia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Wednesday that he would not expect the Indian government to show restraint should it be attacked again by terrorist groups based in Pakistan.Gates has praised the "statesmanship" of India in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which have been attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based extremist group aligned with Al Qaeda. At a news conference Wednesday in New Delhi, Gates repeated those comments but said India's ability to continue that policy would be "in question" should militants strike again. "I think it is not unreasonable to assume Indian patience would be limited were there to be further attacks," Gates said. The defense secretary painted a detailed picture of extremist groups operating in Pakistan, arguing that some were focused on Afghanistan, some on India and some on Pakistan. But he argued that all operated under the direction of Al Qaeda and shared a goal of fomenting regional instability. "The success of any one of these groups leads to new capabilities and new reputations for all these groups," Gates said. "A victory for one is a victory for all." As other officials have done, notably Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gates described the various extremist groups as a "syndicate" that uses common tactics and a common base in Pakistan's North Waziristan area to conduct operations. Gates said the militant groups were trying to provoke conflict between India and Pakistan by mounting terrorist acts. "It is very complicated situation; it is dangerous for the region as a whole," Gates said. "They are a syndicate of terrorist operators, intending to destabilize the whole region." Gates was asked if the Indians had pressed him to push Pakistan to take more action against Lashkar-e-Taiba or other extremist groups. He signaled that he intended to try to help reduce Pakistani anxiety over India, to help Islamabad continue its focus on the militant threat. "Clearly one of the subjects of discussion for my next visit is how to ally their concerns, so they can focus on what has become a real existential threat to Pakistan, these different terrorist groups operating in its territory," Gates said. Posted by: tipper 2010-01-20 |
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