'US will support important partner India's efforts against terrorism': House speaker Mike Johnson

Backing India's fight against terrorism, US House speaker Mike Johnson has said the United States would "do everything to support those efforts.""We have great sympathy for what's happening there (India)," Johnson said in response to a question at a Congressional briefing in Washington DC. He was referring to the current India-Pakistan tensions in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which Pakistan-backed terrorists shot dead 26 male tourists.He added, "We want to stand with our allies. India is a very important partner to us in so many ways. India has to stand against terrorism as well. I think that's all part of this relationship as it develops. The Trump administration clearly understands the importance of that relationship and clearly understands the importance of the threat of terrorism."Further, Johnson stated his belief is that in case of increased threat to India, the Trump administration would focus "more energy, resources and time" in dealing with any such situation.His remarks come days after US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke with external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to des-escalate tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours. In a social media post after the call, Jaishankar underscored that Pahalgam's perpetrators, backers and planners must be 'brought to justice."India-Pakistan tensions were also discussed in a phone call between fefence minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth.US President Donald Trump was among the world leaders to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.