US worried over Lashkar triggering Indo-Pak war

A top US Army official has raised concerns over the possibility of a war between India and Pakistan triggered by extremist groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Addressing the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Lieutenant General Francis Kearney, Deputy Commander, US Special Operations Command, said while America is taking steps regarding preventing any terrorist activity on its soil, it is also worried about militants' aim of spreading bloodshed across the globe.

"One of our key pillars (is) that something spurs up as a result of a Lashkar-e-Tayiba, you know, as they continue to try and trigger some kind of impact between Pakistan and India in the region," The Dawn quoted Kearney, as saying."And so it's keeping an eye on the ball forward as we protect the ball here at home," he added.

Kearney said his prime concern is regarding the extremist organisations trying to wreak havoc using material present inside the country. "Militants also have the capability to get people into the United States and use tools here that exist that you don't need to smuggle in worries me, industrial accidents," he said.

The general said that he is also worried 'very much' about the trans-regional actors who can cause eruptions in their region, such as the LeT.

The committee's chairman, Bill Nelson, pointed out that even after nine years of the US' war against the Al Qaeda and the Taliban and other extremists outfits in Afghanistan, these groups are still capable of launching attacks any where in the world, and are spreading their tentacles to newer regions such as Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

"They still have the capability of launching attacks, and they can launch them from many different places in the world," Nelson said. He also pointed out that the threat of violent extremism is complex and has the ability to destabilize countries and create economic crisis.