New Delhi: Condemning recent acts of terror in Uzbekistan, India today (April 1, 2004) called for collective efforts of the community to fight this menace.

In a letter to Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadik Salikhovich Safayev, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said India and Uzbekistan had been resolute in condemning terrorism in all its manifestations.

"I would once again like to convey our commitment to fight the menace of terrorism unitedly through collective efforts of the international community," he said.

Sinha expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the acts of terror in Uzbekistan.

Confrontations between police and suspected terrorists on March 29 and 30 had left 44 dead, including two suicide bombers, as Uzbek forces laid siege to a group of terror suspects near the President's residence in capital Tashkent.

In the Northern neighbourhood of Yalangach, police stopped a small car and the two alleged terrorists jumped out and detonated explosive-laden belts, killing themselves and three police officers and injuring five more policemen.