US President Donald Trump with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh on Sunday. REUTERS

Riyadh, May 22

US President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged that India was a victim of terrorism and asked countries to ensure that terror groups don’t find sanctuaries on their soil.Trump, while addressing the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries in his first speech on a foreign soil, further pledged to work alongside the West Asian nations to combat extremist ideology in the region as all countries from the US to India, Australia to Russia — have been “victim of terrorism and have suffered repeated barbaric attacks”. Without naming Pakistan, Trump said “every country must ensure that terrorists don’t find any sanctuary on their lands”.Trump did not schedule a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, even as he met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the sidelines of the Riyadh Summit. The diplomatic meet between Sharif and Trump did not take place even as Saudi Arabia was strongly backing the idea. The US embassy on Sunday confirmed that the two leaders were not scheduled to meet, amid speculations. Trump, however, had a brief encounter with Sharif and exchanged pleasantries.In his address, Trump called on the Middle-East to combat the crisis of Islamic extremism emanating from the region.Terming the fight against terrorism as a “battle between good and evil”, and not a clash between “the West and Islam”, Trump sought to chart a new course for America’s role in the region — aimed at rooting out terrorism. “This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilisations,” Trump said. Trump added that Muslim leaders must do more to confront extremism. — ANI