'Cooperate with India': JD Vance to Pakistan as New Delhi looks to hunt down Pahalgam attack terrorists

US Vice President JD Vance has called on Pakistan to cooperate with India in tracking down terrorists operating from its territory, following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam , Jammu and Kashmir.

On Thursday, Vance said Washington hopes India will respond with caution to avoid a broader regional conflict in the wake of last week’s attack in which 26 people — mostly tourists — were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists.

“And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they’re responsible, cooperates with India to ensure that the terrorists sometimes operating from their territory are hunted down and dealt with,” Vance said.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance publicly addressed the attack, which claimed 26 lives. Notably, he and his family were in India on a four-day visit when the attack occurred — the deadliest since the 2019 Pulwama bombing targeting CRPF personnel.

“Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict,” Vance said on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier.

Rubio speaks to Jaishankar, Shehbaz Sharif

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, shortly after a call with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the Pahalgam attack.

During the phone conversation, Jaishankar told Rubio that those responsible for the tragic attack must be held accountable and brought to justice.

The US has encouraged India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, reaffirming its commitment to cooperate with New Delhi against terrorism.

The Pahalgam attack, one of the deadliest in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama, killed at least 26 people, including a Nepali national, and injured many others.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.