US, Indian officials discuss Mumbai attacks

Dec 2, 2008, 23:29 GMT

Washington - Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon met Tuesday with top US officials to discuss efforts to find the terrorists behind last week's deadly attacks in Mumbai, the US State Department said.

Menon met with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Under Secretary Bill Burns on the eve of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's scheduled arrival in New Delhi.

The United States has sent a team to India to assist authorities in the investigation of Wednesday's coordinated attack on hotels and entertainment venues in Mumbai that left 188 people dead and hundreds wounded.

The attack appears to have originated from a group in Pakistan, and the issue has increased tension between the neighbouring nuclear powers, which have three wars over territorial disputes since partition in 1947.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Rice urged the Pakistani government to cooperate in the investigation. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates would not comment on allegations that the attack was planned by militants in Pakistan.

'I don't want to get into the intelligence that we have,' he said. 'I'd like to commend the Indians for their restraint at this point.'