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This is an archive article published on January 27, 2015

US sees role for India in battle against Islamic State

Modi and Obama on Sunday committed to close consultation on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria.

Modi and Obama on Sunday committed to close consultation on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria. (Source: PTI) Modi and Obama on Sunday committed to close consultation on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria. (Source: PTI)

India could play a role in battling Islamic State, the White House said on Monday during Barack Obama’s Delhi visit, underlining Washington’s confidence that India is increasingly prepared to engage on global security issues.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said India’s involvement could focus on intelligence on the flow of money and militants to the radical Islamist group rather than deploying troops on the ground. “When you look at our broader counter terrorism cooperation and how we’re tracking the flow of fighters and terrorist financing, there I do think we want to find space for cooperation,” he told reporters.

The United States views India as a vast market and potential counterweight in Asia to a more assertive China, but has frequently been frustrated with New Delhi’s unwillingness to side with Washington in international affairs. “The larger goal that the United States should be pursuing here is to convince India to join a coalition of democracies to balance China’s rise,” former US ambassador to Beijing Jon Huntsman and the South Asia Center’s acting director, Bharath Gopalaswamy, wrote in a joint opinion piece for Reuters.

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Modi and Obama on Sunday committed to close consultation on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria.

“The leaders agreed to exchange information on individuals returning from these conflict zones and to continue to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of civilians caught up in these conflicts,” they said in a joint statement.

They also agreed to a 10-year framework for defence ties and struck deals on cooperation that included joint production of drone aircraft and equipment for Lockheed Martin Corp’s  C-130 military transport plane.

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