World leaders condemn Uri attack, express support for India's fight against terrorism
PM Nawaz Sharif is expected to bring up the issue at the UN after Pakistan claimed it was being blamed for the incident to divert focus from the Kashmir crisis.
A number of world leaders have condemned the attack on the Indian Army installation in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri base, in which 17 soldiers were killed. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "The United Nations is following developments closely and shares the concerns of people living in the region for peace."
The United States, too, "strongly condemned" Sunday's terrorist attack. "We extend our condolences to the victims and their families. The United States is committed to our strong partnership with the Indian government to combat terrorism," John Kirby, assistant secretary and state department spokesperson, according to a statement released by the US Embassy in Delhi.
ANI reported that both Russia and Japan condemned the attacks and offered condolences to the victims' families.
United Kingdom Foreign Affairs Secretary Boris Johnson told India's External Affairs Ministry that the UK "stands shoulder to shoulder with India in defeating terrorism", according to The Indian Express.
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who took over as the head of the Non-Aligned Movement after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said at the NAM summit on Sunday: "We are committed along with our brotherly people of the world to get into the depth of this problem that has generated proliferation of terrorist movements..."
According to Director General of Military Operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, initial investigations indicated the involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, which was also apparently behind the Pathankot attack in January. He said they had recovered items from the four militants, who were gunned down in the attack, that had "Pakistani markings" on them.
Senior politicians have called for strong action against Pakistan for the attack, but the neighbouring country has denied allegations against the, calling them "baseless and irresponsible". Pakistan also asked for "actionable intelligence" to prove its involvement in the incident. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will bring up the subject of the unrest in Kashmir at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly later on Monday. The country has alleged that India was passing on the blame for the Uri attack on it to divert attention from the ongoing crisis in the state.