New Delhi (Sputnik) — India and the US have vowed to strengthen the information sharing mechanism against terror groups like Daesh* (ISIS/ISIL). The agreement was made during the 15th meeting of the India-US Counter-terrorism Joint Working Group in New Delhi. The Indian and the US delegations have achieved important progress on counter-terrorism cooperation, the Indian side claimed.
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"Both sides committed to strengthening information sharing on some of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups and individuals and exchanged views on efforts to counter the financing and operations of regional and global terrorist organizations," India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Following up on the inaugural US-India Counterterrorism Designations Dialogue in December 2017, the delegations discussed ongoing efforts to ensure the effective implementation of domestic and international terrorist designations.
In an indirect reference to Pakistan-based terror organizations, India's MEA said the meeting reviewed threats posed by terrorist groups worldwide and in their respective regions, including cross-border terrorism in the South Asian region.
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"The two sides discussed international efforts to counter threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters," the MEA statement read.
The meeting comes amid the backdrop of a recent report published by the news portal Foreign Policy wherein it is claimed that the Trump administration was weighing "unprecedented political penalties on Islamabad for harboring Afghan militants waging war on the US-backed government in Afghanistan."
The options under consideration include revoking Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally, permanently cutting off US military aid, and even imposing visa bans or other sanctions on individuals if the Pakistani government is deemed responsible for providing support to the militants, the news report said.
The United States will host the next meeting of the Joint Working Group in 2019.