A regrouping Taliban worries India

India has said that the regrouping of the Taliban in Afghanistan is a cause of concern 'as some of these elements' were infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir to carry out terrorism and acts of violence there.

The re-emergence of Taliban forces in Afghanistan and the situation in Lebanon figured prominently in talks in Paris on Monday between visiting Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie.

Alliot-Marie said both India and France shared the perception that

at no cost should Taliban forces be allowed to gain ground in Afghanistan.

"The two countries shared perceptions that Taliban and forces like Al Qaeda were trying to re-emerge in Afghanistan, which is a cause of common concern," she said.

Alliot-Marie said major countries like the US, Britain and nations of the region had to jointly frame a strategy to decimate these forces. "It is in the interest of Afghanistan that democracy prevails and the government clamps down hard on Taliban and Al Qaeda forces," Mukherjee said.