Eliminate 26/11 perpetrators, says Boucher

ON THE TERROR TRAIL

Cranking up pressure on Pakistan, the US demanded that the perpetrators of the unprecedented Mumbai terror attacks be “eliminated” and said Islamabad has still a “lot to do” in combating terrorism.

Richard Boucher, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, elaborating on the US aim, said the country’s “immediate focus is to get rid of the terrorists and stop them from doing anything more.”

“Let’s find the people responsible, let’s eliminate the groups who were responsible and let’s make sure we do everything we can to prevent India from suffering this kind of attack again. That’s an immediate focus that requires everybody's cooperation, and when we are through that cooperation, we can also start cooperation on broader things,” Boucher said in an interview to All India Radio.

The strong message from Boucher came in the wake of the Pakistani authorities trying to blur the focus away from cracking down on Pakistan-based groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) suspected to have masterminded the Mumbai attacks on November 26 that left 179 persons dead.

“Pakistan has taken some promising steps, but there is a lot to be done to tackle the menace,” Boucher said.