In a significant display of strategic alignment, India and the United States have reinforced their commitment to combating terrorism through enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation. This move comes even as the two nations navigate other areas of diplomatic friction, such as trade tariffs. The collaboration was prominently featured during high-level meetings held in New Delhi this week, involving both the bilateral India-US Joint Working Group and the multilateral Quad Counter Terrorism Working Group.
Bilateral Push for Global Sanctions
The bilateral dialogue, held on December 3, 2025, was led by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism at India's Ministry of External Affairs, and Monica Jacobsen, Senior Bureau Official in the US State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism. A central focus of their discussions was advocating for stricter international punitive measures against Pakistan-based terrorist organizations.
The two sides jointly called for the United Nations to impose additional sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes, against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and their various proxy groups and financiers. They also sought similar additional designations for affiliates of ISIS and al-Qaeda under the UN's 1267 sanctions regime.
India expressed appreciation for the US State Department's recent designation of The Resistance Front (TRF), a known LeT proxy, as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The TRF had claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Quad's Unified Stand Against Cross-Border Terrorism
Parallelly, the two-day Quad Counter Terrorism Working Group meeting convened in Delhi, bringing together officials from India, the US, Japan, and Australia. The Indian and US delegations were joined by Gemma Huggins, Australia's Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, and Minami Hiroyuki, Japan's Ambassador in-charge of International Cooperation for Countering Terrorism.
In a powerful joint statement, the Quad partners unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms, explicitly mentioning cross-border terrorism. They called for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of recent terror incidents to be brought to justice and urged all UN member states to cooperate in this endeavor.
The grouping exchanged assessments on the evolving terrorism threat landscape, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, and discussed a full spectrum of cooperative measures. They emphasized the importance of keeping the Indo-Pacific open and free from terrorist threats and reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration in multilateral forums like the UN and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Strengthening Comprehensive Cooperation
Both the bilateral and Quad meetings underscored a holistic approach to counter-terrorism. The India-US joint statement highlighted the need for concerted and sustained action. The discussions covered a wide range of challenges, from traditional threats to emerging dangers like terrorist recruitment, the abuse of new technologies, and terror financing.
To address these, both sides explored ways to strengthen cooperation through training programs, cybersecurity initiatives, exchange of best practices, and enhanced information sharing. They also discussed improving law enforcement and judicial cooperation, including processing mutual legal assistance requests more efficiently.
The meetings were described as reflecting the spirit and breadth of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. By renewing their pledge to work together within the UN, Quad, and FATF, India and the US, along with their Quad allies, have sent a strong message of unity in the global fight against terrorism, aiming to dismantle networks that threaten regional and global security.
