Australian Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon warned on Monday the Mumbai terrorist attacks, which have roused tensions between India and Pakistan, could make the task of troops in Afghanistan tougher.
Fitzgibbon told reporters in Canberra that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai had added a new layer of complexity to the southeastern Asia, and Australia stood ready to help improve security in Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan.
"Any further instability in that region is going to make our task a whole lot harder," he said.
Australia has about 1,100 troops in Afghanistan. Last week an Australian soldier was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb, adding the number of Australian soldiers died in Afghanistan to seven.
India's Deputy Interior Minister Shakeel Ahmad on Monday said all of the Mumbai attackers were from Pakistan. While he stopped short of blaming the Pakistan government, the comments were the strongest yet pointing a finger of blame across the border.
"That is why we have got to concentrate even more intensely now in providing all assistance we can, by invitation of course, to the Pakistan government to ensure that they make better progress in bedding down their own internal security," he added.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday called on both India and Pakistan to stay calm after the bloody violence in Mumbai.
(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2008)
