Obama

New Delhi, Nov. 29: President George W. Bush offered to help India in “any way” America could and his successor called up the Prime Minister as a team from the FBI landed in terror-ravaged Mumbai today.

In Delhi, ambassador David C. Mulford said the US was “duty-bound” to assist India in the probe after a meeting with foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon.

Mulford, who returned from America early this morning, said Bush had offered “co-operation to Indian authorities in any way that we can”.

“The United States is very skilled in this field. We are engaged in a global war on terror. The United States is duty-bound to co-operate, provide assistance, and to become engaged in the investigative process,” Mulford said after a meeting with Menon.

Asked if the US would send a team from its FBI, Mulford said: “Our security people will co-operate in any way they can, including coming to India, to offer assistance.”

Sources said an FBI team had already reached Mumbai.

In Delhi, the Prime Minister’s Office said US President-elect Barack Obama called up Manmohan Singh and “expressed his deepest condolences”.

“The US President-elect spoke to our Prime Minister for a while… on the tragedy,” a spokesperson said.

In Washington, a spokesperson for the transition team said Obama, who will assume office in January, let Singh know that his “thoughts and prayers” were with the “people of India and all who were affected by the attack”.