The hi-tech surveillance equipment for India’s top security and intelligence agencies will be one of the crucial items that will number on India’s shopping list during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States later this month.
India will seek assistance from top US security and intelligence agencies, both in terms of information and technology, to help fight terror especially in wake of growing threat from al-Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent, according to the sources said.
After the involvement of David Coleman Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack came to light, there has been greater cooperation between the US and Indian security agencies.
Since Mr Modi’s visiting is expected to add more than a few new dimensions to the Indo-US relations security is being seen as one of the key areas that would witness enhanced co-operation between the two countries.
India will not only seek highly developed equipment for its agencies but also professional training by US organisations to further improve its capacity to fight terror, claimed sources.
“We definitely need more sophisticated equipment to surveillance and snooping to keep a check on activities of terror outfits. We will also seek help from the US to provide us good hardware for cyber security also since most terror outfits are now relying heavily on the cyber space as well,” a security official said.
One more reason, according to sources is the US would be willing to assist India in its fight against terror is that America is apprehensive over the growing power of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the entire region as soon as it starts withdrawal of it troops from Afghanistan from 2015.