Trump govt concerned about ‘longtime persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh’: US Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday that the US administration under President Donald Trump is worried about the “longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians” in Bangladesh.

"The longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US government and President Trump and his administration," Gabbard told NDTV.

Gabbard, who is in India, emphasised on the US' governments efforts to defeat “Islamist Terrorism” worldwide. She also said that President Trump remains very committed to combating and defeating the threat of Islamist terrorism.

"He redesignated the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organisation after Biden took them off the terrorist list,” she said.

She mentioned that the talks are just at the initial point between his incoming cabinet and the Bangladesh government, and this remains as an “area of concern”. “Once again with the threat of Islamist terrorists and their global effort rooted in the same ideology and has the same objective, which is to rule and govern with an Islamist caliphate. This affects people of other religion and they choose to carry this out through violent means,” she said.

Speaking of Russia-Ukraine War, she said the Biden govt didn't make any effort to end it. She praised the US President Trump for making “progress towards peace”, in comparison to the previous administration.

“Under the previous administration, there was no effort at all towards peace or direct dialogue with Putin to bring an end to this war. So, in a very short period of time, Trump has made much more progress towards peace than any other previous effort. President Trump will have a very productive conversation with Putin at the appropriate time, rooted in his unwavering commitment to peace,” she remarked.

Gabbard's visit to India

Gabbard arrived India as a part of her multi-nation visit this week. This comes after PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US in February this year. The Asia leg of Gabbard's trip will culminate in an address on March 18 at the Raisina Dialogue, a multinational gathering of security officials in Delhi, to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited her. 

She will hold bilateral meetings with Indian officials and officials from other countries, The New York Times reported, citing a Trump administration official.