Mumbai Attacks Could Bear Stamp of Al Qaeda

Dec. 3: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waves to media as she arrives at Palam technical airport in New Delhi, India.

Dec. 3: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waves to media as she arrives at Palam technical airport in New Delhi, India.

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NEW DELHI — The Bush administration dispatched its senior diplomat and military officer to India and Pakistan on Wednesday in a direct appeal to the historic rivals to cooperate following terrorist attacks in India that may have been the work of Pakistani militants.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was too early to say who was responsible for the attack, but: "Whether there is a direct Al Qaeda hand or not, this is clearly the kind of terror in which Al Qaeda participates," she said during a press conference.

Pakistan's president, meanwhile, said any of the 20 suspects wanted by India would be tried in Pakistan if there is evidence of wrongdoing.

Rice, America's top diplomat, was to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top officials. U.S. officials have pointed the finger at Pakistani-based groups in the attacks and have pressured Islamabad to cooperate in the investigation.

Rice delivered U.S. condolences in the Indian capital, but her message at the start of an emergency tour was directed largely at Pakistan.

"This is a time when cooperation of all parties who have any information is really required," Rice said.

The United States is trying to ease tensions in the region after a three-day terrorist attack killed 171 people in India's financial capital.

Indian and U.S. officials have pointed the finger at Pakistani-based groups in the attacks. Rice said the operation is similar to the type of terrorism carried out by al-Qaida but she said she would not leap to any conclusions about who is to blame.

Speaking to reporters before meetings with Indian officials, Rice suggested that the United States is especially alarmed by the careful targeting and efficiency displayed in the Mumbai attacks.

"This is a different situation," Rice said.

"I have said that Pakistan needs to act with resolve and urgency and cooperate fully and transparently. That message has been delivered and will be delivered to Pakistan," Rice said.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was in Pakistan on Wednesday.

In Washington a Mullen spokesman said the attacks reflect a growing sophistication among extremist groups. The United States is encouraging a regional approach to security concerns.

U.S. and British citizens were the targets of the violent siege in Mumbai last week, although most of those killed in India's financial capital were from India, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

Six Americans died.

The same group that carried out last week's attack is believed to be behind the 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 200, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell said Tuesday during a speech at Harvard University.

McConnell did not identify the group by name. However, the Indian government has attributed the 2006 attack to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist group based in Kashmir, and the Students Islamic Movement of India.

McConnell is the first U.S. official to publicly identify Lashkar as the likely perpetrator. Earlier Tuesday, a senior State Department official told reporters only that evidence suggests that the brutal, prolonged attack had some roots in Pakistan. Privately, U.S. and foreign counterterrorism officials fingered Lashkar last week.