‘Together we’ll wipe out terror’
Mattis meets PM, Nirmala to strengthen defence, regional ties
US defence secretary James Mattis, on an official visit to give further fillip to Indo-US military ties, held talks with defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, vowing to jointly stamp out militant sanctuaries and seeking India’s greater involvement in helping to stabilise Afghanistan.
A statement released by Mr Mattis after the meeting said, “There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens… As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.”
Mr Mattis, the first Cabinet-ranking official of the Trump administration to visit India, also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed “enhanced cooperation, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating terrorism”.
A PMO statement issued later said that PM Modi recalled his “wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions” with President Donald Trump during his visit to the US in June this year, while Mr Mattis briefed the PM on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit.
Earlier in the day, Mr Mattis and Ms Sitharaman held talks in South Block on enhancing the defence relations between the two countries.
While the US defence
There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.
— James Mattis, US defence secretary