Officials from India and the United States are due to begin a further round of talks in Washington later on Thursday on joint efforts to combat terrorism.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said the India-US working group on terrorism will discuss a range of issues including the sharing of intelligence and the US-led war against Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

The talks come in advance of a visit to South Asia by the American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to try to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service