US has stood with India as it faced Chinese aggression: White House official
Washington, Dec 17: Expressing concern over China's increasing aggression across the globe from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South China Sea and along the India-China border, a senior White House official said the US has stood with New Delhi during its military standoff with Beijing.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official asserted that US President Donald Trump, during his presidency, has really strengthened all aspects of the US-India security and defence cooperation to build a comprehensive, enduring and mutually beneficial defence partnership.
We have been very concerned with China's increasing aggression really across the globe, whether it be Hong Kong, Taiwan, South China Sea and of course along the India-China border, the senior administration official from the White House told PTI in an exclusive interview.
We have stood with India as it faced this aggression along its border over the last six-seven months. We provided equipment. We have been engaged with India, shown our moral support for India to be able to stand up to the Chinese and make sure that there's a peaceful resolution and de-escalation of the situation, said the official.
The armies of India and China are locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh since early May. Both sides have held multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks. However, no breakthrough has been achieved yet.
During the Trump administration, the United States has become the second largest arms supplier to India, growing from virtually no sales a decade ago to more than USD 20 billion today, the official said.
Earlier this year, the US and India concluded USD 3 billion in defence sales for naval and attack helicopters. To bolster India's role as a net provider of security in the Indo-Pacific, the Trump administration has lifted restrictions on provision of sensitive defence technology, enabling India to become the first country that's not a treaty ally of the United States to be offered armed MQ-9 Reaper drones.
In support of India during its border standoff with China, the United States has leased two MQ-9s to India while the sale of MQ-9s is being finalised, said the official.
The US also expedited delivery of cold weather gear to support the deployment of Indian military along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through the winter, said the senior administration official.
In addition, we have concluded the basic exchange and cooperation agreement, which is the last of the so-called key defence enabling agreements. I think this is really a historic achievement that clearly demonstrates progress in defence partnership, said the official.
Responding to a question, the senior administration official said that the US cut security aid and reimbursements to Pakistan in January 2018. There have been some exceptions, such as for things that are in the US interest.
Some minor exceptions. But the suspension remains in effect. We continue to look to Pakistan to crack down on terrorists and militants on its territory. We've seen some progress on that front. But we certainly need to see more. We need to see a decisive crackdown, and sustained measures to rein in these terrorists and militant groups, said the official.
We have received cooperation from Pakistan on the Afghan peace process. We value the cooperation that we have received from Pakistan. We continue to work with Pakistan and look to them to help when it comes to convincing the Taliban to reduce violence, for example.
We were glad to see that the two sides are sitting down in Doha, and have been for the last several months, but we are very troubled by the high levels of Taliban violence that continues. So, we do look to Pakistan to help us move the peace process forward. And right now, that means to see a reduction in violence from the Taliban, the senior administration official added.
His remarks came as a high-level delegation of the Afghan Taliban, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, met Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Wednesday and discussed the Afghan peace process, amid growing incidents of violence in the war-torn country.
The delegation is visiting Pakistan at a time when President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of more American soldiers from Afghanistan, leaving around 2,500 troops behind in the strife-torn country.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
