India Policy on Countering Daesh Remains Unchanged

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said that India will continue to share intelligence about the Islamic State militant group.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — India’s policy on assisting the international efforts to combat the Islamic State remains unchanged, and the country is ready to contribute further under any UN-approved program, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a joint press conference with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday.

"No changes in that policy. While we are sharing intelligence, we believe that whatever role India is to play under any UN approved program, we’ll do it," Parrikar said when asked if India is considering increasing its role in countering the Islamic State.

On Wednesday, Carter announced the United States asked its international coalition partners to provide additional support in the fight against the Islamic State. The terrorist organization, also known as Daesh, is outlawed in Russia and in many other countries.

At present, Russia is the only country that legitimately carries out strikes in Syria against Islamic State targets as it has conducted its campaign at the request of the Syrian government.

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State consists of 65 countries and has conducted airstrikes against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria since the summer of 2014 but without the approval of the UN Security Council or the Syrian government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called on the international community to create a broader counterterrorism front that would act on the basis of international law and under UN auspices.