India, US to deepen counter-terrorism collaboration

India and the US have agreed to deepen their already close collaboration on counter-terrorism, particularly the threat posed by Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

The agreement was outlined in an official statement issued on Friday after a meeting here between Indian Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Lisa Monaco.

At the meeting held in conjunction with the US-India Cyber Dialogue, they discussed a wide range of issues, US National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

These included "cyber security, enhanced law enforcement cooperation, and US-India collaboration against Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist threats."

"Building on the commitment that President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made in New Delhi in January to make the US-India partnership 'a defining counter-terrorism relationship for the 21st century'," the statement said, "they agreed to deepen their already close collaboration on these issues".

A separate joint statement on the cyber dialogue held on August 11-12 said "to increase global cyber security and promote the digital economy, the US and India have committed to robust cooperation on cyber issues".

The whole-of-government Cyber Dialogue, fourth in the series, was led by US Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President Michael Daniel and Gupta.

The two delegations identified a variety of opportunities for increased collaboration on cyber security and intend to pursue an array of follow-on activities to bolster their cyber security partnership and achieve concrete outcomes, the statement added.

The next round of the cyber dialogue will be held in Delhi in 2016.