Washington: US President George W Bush telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to offer support to the Indian Government as it works to restore order and investigate the "despicable" terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed at least 101 people.
"The President offered support and assistance to the Government of India as it works to restore order, provide safety to its people and comfort to the victims and their families, and investigate these despicable acts," White House spokesperson Dana Perino said in a statement.
Bush was being updated regularly on the events in India while he spent the US holiday of Thanksgiving at the Camp David presidential retreat just outside Washington, she said.
The White House National Security Council Wednesday convened officials from counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies as well as the State Department and Pentagon to discuss the Mumbai attacks.
President-elect Barack Obama, who takes over from Bush on January 20, has also set up a special team to interact with the State Department's Operations Centre as well as the office of the Director of National Intelligence to monitor the Mumbai terrorist attacks situation, CNN reported.
That information is then being filtered to Obama, who is getting regular updates at his residence in Chicago, it said citing an Obama aide. He is scheduled to be home all day Thursday celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends.
An Obama spokesman told reporters in Chicago that the President-elect called Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Wednesday to get an update and status report on the situation in Mumbai.
He then called the Indian Ambassador to the US, Ronen Sen, and conveyed that his thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragic situation.
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