US praises Pakistan for jailing mastermind of Mumbai attack Hafiz Saeed

The United States has praised Pakistan's jailing of the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack, a step long sought by Washington as well as India.

The conviction "of Hafiz Saeed and his associate is an important step forward -- both toward holding LeT accountable for its crimes, and for Pakistan in meeting its international commitments to combat terrorist financing," tweeted Alice Wells, the top US diplomat for South Asia.

She was referring to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group that both Washington and New Delhi hold responsible for the siege of Mumbai that killed 166 people.

LeT is the militant wing of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa Islamist charity led by Saeed.