Continued Talks Vital to Reduce Escalating Indo-Pak Tensions: US

US State Department Press Office has urged for calm and restraint from both India and Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi. (Photo: Reuters)

The US has refrained from commenting on the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir last week, while calling for calm and restraint.

We’re not going to speak to specific reports of incidents along the border.

Elizabeth Trudeau, Director, US State Department Press Office

"We urge calm and restraint on both sides," she said, adding that the Indian and Pakistani armies were in touch with each other .

"We believe that that continued communication is vital to reduce these tensions."

The Indian Army late on 26 September and early 27 September morning carried out a series of surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC in which “significant casualties were caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them”.

The attacks came in retaliation to the 18 September cross-border terror attack on an army garrison at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in which 19 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

In her briefing, Trudeau said that “conflicts or issues or rising tension are not contained to any specific region”.

We are in favour of any reduction of tensions that both sides agree to in this particular instance... We have strong ties with both Pakistan and India, and we’ll engage on that basis.

Elizabeth Trudeau, Director, US State Department Press Office

Reiterating that the US position on Kashmir has not changed, Trudeau said, “I would remind you that we are having conversations with both (India and Pakistan) on the importance of reducing the tensions in the region.”