The U.S. secretary of state and the top U.S. military
officer are traveling to South Asia, in an effort to defuse tensions between
India and Pakistan following last week's deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
U.S. State Department officials say Condoleezza Rice is set to arrive in New
Delhi (Wednesday). And the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Admiral Mike Mullen, also is traveling to the region with the same goal.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and State Department officials on Tuesday
commended India and Pakistan for showing restraint, and said the United States
has seen no military buildup along their border.
A State Department official also said there is evidence that the attacks were
the work of a group that is at least partly based in Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Pakistan's foreign minister (Shah Mehmood Qureshi) pledged
full cooperation in the investigation into the attacks that killed at least 172
people last week in the coastal city of Mumbai. Indian officials have demanded
that Pakistan hand over 20 suspected terrorists believed to be living there.