US Ambassador rushing back to India after surgical strikes

Washington: Ambassador Richard Verma, who was in the US, is rushing back to India in the wake of the Indian Army`s surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

At his daily press briefing here on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said that Verma rescheduled an event he was to attend at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars and would be rushing back to New Delhi.

"He (Verma) did have to reschedule his event at the Wilson Centre and, as far as I know, he`s returning to New Delhi," Kirby said.

"My understanding is that he believed that it was appropriate for him to go back," he said.

"And I mean, he`s a - he`s got a big job, there`s a lot of responsibilities that come with it, and obviously it`s a very dynamic situation, and he felt it was prudent to go back."

The Indian Army on Wednesday night carried out surgical strikes across the LoC on terror launch pads inflicting "significant casualties", according to Indian Director General Military Operations Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh.

This action came after the September 18 cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army garrison at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.

India has blamed the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack.