UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly who is in Mumbai to attend the United Nations Security Council special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) at Taj Mahal Palace expressed his deepest condolences to 26/11 Mumbai terror victims and vowed to prevent such acts of terror from happening again.
"Today we remember the 166 people who were killed when terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008 and the countless others who were injured in that attack. I express my deepest condolences to the victims and their families," said Cleverly.
"This morning reminds us of the human cost and global impact of terrorism. It reminds us why we must remain united and steadfast in our efforts to defeat it," he added.
Notably, this is the first high-level visit from a UK official to India since Rishi Sunak took charge as UK's new Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Reiterating UK's support to end such acts of terror, he said, "The UK condemns all terrorism. We will work with India, our international friends and partners to try and prevent an attack like we saw in Mumbai from happening again."
Highlighting the fact that terrorists still continue to get financial resources to maintain their organizational functions, Cleverly emphasized depriving terrorists of funds.
"It's not just about vigilance and security focussed on those that carry out terrorism. We know that depriving terrorists of funds to carry out such attacks, funds to maintain their network and funds to recruit new members is one of the most effective tools against them," said UK Foreign Secretary.
He also remembered the three Britishers who lost their lives in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. On November 26, 2008, 10 terrorists trained by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai, killing 166 people.
"Among them were three British nationals and on behalf of His Majesty's government, I honour and remember them today," said Cleverly.
He further reiterated the UK's unwavering support to condemn all acts of terrorism.
"14 years ago, the UNSC condemned all acts of terrorism regardless of their motivation and pledged to combat this threat to international peace and security. The UK's determination to honour that pledge remains unwavering," said UK Foreign Secretary.
Ahead of the 14th anniversary of the Mumbai attacks in November, India is hosting the two-day anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) starting Friday. The key UNSC meeting, under New Delhi's chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), is taking place at one of the main sites that saw the dastardly terror attacks.
( With inputs from ANI )
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