US asks Pakistan to track down perpetrators of Mumbai attacks By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, Dec 23 (PTI) The US Tuesday said it was
pressing Pakistan "every single day" to "track down and get
off the street" those responsible for the Mumbai terror
attacks and to prevent any future strikes by terrorists.

Outlining the efforts initiated by Washington in the
aftermath of the November 26 attacks, the State Department
Spokesman, Sean McCormack said the US also planned to find the
"final disposition" of the individuals who have been arrested
by Pakistan.

"We are still at the stage where we are urging
Pakistan every single day to do whatever it can to prevent
future attacks and to track down and get off the street those
responsible for these attacks.

"We will get to a stage at some point where, you
know, we look very closely at exactly what is the final
disposition of these individuals who have been arrested over
time," McCormack said.

Asked to comment on conflicting reports on the
detention of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, McCormack
replied, "I'll leave it to the Pakistani authorities to
describe whom they have detained and who are they, who they
are looking to detain."

He said Pakistan has to deal with the specific
arrangements required to bring to justice those responsible
for the Mumbai terror attacks.

The specific arrangements for bringing to justice
those responsible for the (Mumbai) attacks is something that
Pakistan is going to have to deal with, and then should be
talking to the Indian Government about this, he said.

"I can't offer a specific policy prescription for
you at this point, but it is important that Pakistan and India
continue to mitigate any differences through dialogue and
diplomacy that they might have, and that every single day
Pakistan focus on the task at hand, and that is to prevent any
further attacks," McCormack said.

He also said the US was concerned about the Mumbai
strikes as American citizens were "murdered" in these attacks.

Asked to comment on troop movements in Pakistan, he
said: "I've seen those reports. I can't confirm them."

Meanwhile, the White House also pressed Pakistan that
it should bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks
to justice.

"We do want to see those who perpetuate these attacks
brought to justice, and that's something that we've tried to
impress upon all the governments in that region. It's
something that we try to do here also," White House Deputy
Spokesman Tony Fratto said.

Fratto said the US was communicating with Pakistan
"very well" and that Islamabad understands its responsibility
and the important role it plays in combating terror.

"We need to try to defeat terrorists in every way
possible," he said.

"Whether that's through the use of armed conflict, by
taking the fight to them, using our intelligence services to
try to prevent attacks, and when we do find those who have
committed attacks, to bring them to justice," he said.

He noted that the US has assembled a large coalition
of nations who stand with it in trying to defeat terrorism.

"Again, we do it on the intelligence side; we do it on
the financial intelligence side, trying to track the money.
And it's a global effort and we have to try to be right all
the time, and bring anyone who plans or carries out a
terrorist attack to justice," Fratto said. PTI SK
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