WASHINGTON: Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, John Kirby, refused to acknowledge India's claim of conducting 'surgical strikes' in Pakistan, today.
Addressing a press briefing, John Kirby said that US Secretary of State John Kerry had cautioned India not to escalate tensions further with Pakistan.
He said that the US was aware of the tense relations between both countries. "The United States is closely monitoring the situation," he said, with regard to the exchange of fire that took place between India and Pakistan yesterday.
"An attack like that escalates tensions," the spokesman said, adding: "Our message to both sides is the same, to encourage them to increase communication to deal with this threat and avoid steps that escalates the tension."
"We urge calm and restraint on both sides. We understand that the Indian and Pakistani militaries have been in communication, and we believe continued communication is important to reduce tensions", he added.
Answering a question John Kirby said that US expressed concerns regarding the danger that terrorism poses to the region and added that we all know that terrorism knows no border.
“We continue to urge actions to combat and delegitimize terrorist groups like LeT and the Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Mohammad”, Kirby said.