India seeks concerted global action against terror syndicate

UNITED NATIONS: India has described as "worrisome" the continued presence in the Afghan region of the terror infrastructure, which draws support from "beyond its borders", and sought concerted global action to isolate and root out the syndicate of al-Qaeda, Taliban and LeT.

India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, said Afghanistan continues to face "an existential threat from terrorism, drawing upon ideological, financial and logistical support from beyond its borders," an indirect reference to Pakistan.

Speaking at a UN General Assembly debate on the situation in Afghanistan yesterday, Puri said as the international forces prepare to leave Afghanistan by 2014, "it is indeed worrisome" that the infrastructure of terror is still intact in the region.

He cited UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's latest report on the nation which said "little has changed in the underlying dynamics to mitigate a deep-seated cycle of conflict" and a "diminished international presence will have a large financial impact in many areas which, at least in the short term, may even exacerbate predatory behaviour".

Puri added that the security situation remains fragile in Afghanistan and voiced concern over the sharp increase in the variety, spread and intensity of attacks by the Taliban and their backers.

"Cross-border shellings of last few months have caused large-scale disruptions to normal life and have sparked public outrage," Puri said.

Noting that the Afghan National Security Forces are ill-equipped to meet the challenge of terrorism, Puri said "we need concerted action to isolate and root out the syndicate of terrorism which includes elements of the Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist and extremist groups."