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Josy Joseph in New Delhi
United States Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, who rushed to Pakistan after cancelling her meetings in Delhi, would accompany the bodies of two Americans killed in an attack on a church in Islamabad on Sunday back to the US.
"In order to accompany the fallen in Islamabad back to the United States, given this tragedy, I am curtailing my visit to New Delhi and proceeding at once to Pakistan," she said in a written statement issued in New Delhi.
Rocca left at 8 am on Monday morning for Islamabad.
Rocca, who is in-charge of the region, was not originally slated to visit Pakistan during the present trip.
Rocca said, "The cowardly murders committed in International Protestant Church in Islamabad are yet more evidence of the necessity to continue with the International coalition's war against terrorism."
"Six months ago the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Centre slaughtered innocent people from over 80 nations. Sunday's attack in Islamabad was also against innocent individuals from many countries, this time joined together in prayer," she said.
Rocca had on Monday slotted meetings with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran and other senior officials.
Besides discussing various Indo-US issues, Rocca was also expected to brief Indian leaders about the latest developments in Sri Lanka and the extent of US involvement in the entire peace process.
She was also expected to press with Indian leadership the need to withdraw Indian troops from the border.
Rocca arrived in New Delhi on Saturday night after her landmark visit to Jaffna, the Tamil dominated Sri Lankan town, where she met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.
On Sunday, she had visited Agra to witness a USAID project.
She mid-way cancelled her Agra programmes and returned to New Delhi after being informed of the shootout in Islamabad.
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