US Secretary of State John Kerry will begin a three-day official visit to Bangladesh and India from Monday to hold discussion with top leaders of the two neighbouring countries to give shape to closer Indo-Bangla-US cooperation to counter terrorism and violent extremism in Bangladesh.

Diplomatic sources said the US and India are concerned about the potential for extremists to take root in Bangladesh. It is considered an important Muslim country with a moderate orientation that can be an important player in dealing with the problem of violent extremism.

Following the July 1 attack at the Holey Artisan bakery in which 22 people, including 18 foreigners were killed, a number of countries, especially the US and India, offered to share their expertise and assist Bangladesh with information sharing on terror networks, training of security personnel, and providing experts and technical support.

Kerry's visit is taking place at a time when the United States is in hectic discussion with Bangladesh through multiple channels about assistance package in countering terrorism and violent extremism.

Bangladesh has welcomed the international community's support saying it will only welcome need-based assistance.

Against this backdrop, the visit of Secretary Kerry to Bangladesh and India to meet top officials in the two countries carries special significance.

 “Bangladesh's issues will come up prominently during Secretary Kerry's meeting with Indian government leaders, including External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,” said an Indian diplomat in Dhaka.

The US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent Congressional hearing said the US is working with India on countering violent extremism in Bangladesh.

“We have been both engaging with the government on this problem but also for example with India, given the relationship between India and Bangladesh to raise the concern and try to work together with them on countering violent extremism before it takes root in Bangladesh,” Blinken said.

“That's the last thing we want,” he said during a hearing on Asia organized by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 29.

Diplomatic sources said New Delhi's assessment is that homegrown militants are responsible for the recent terrorist attacks but the US thinks extremist groups, either indigenous or affiliated with Islamic State (IS), are responsible.

 Neither the US nor India wants to see instability in Bangladesh, they said adding that these two countries also don't want to see the Awami League government face adverse challenges as its “zero-tolerance” has greatly helped address India's long standing security concerns with insurgency.

Given the relations between Bangladesh and India, the US wants to work with Dhaka and Delhi on tackling extremism before it takes root in Bangladesh, they said.

The US Department of State while making an official announcement on Wednesday about Kerry's visit to Bangladesh said “John Kerry will travel to Dhaka on August 29 to highlight the “longstanding and broad US-Bangladesh relationship.”

He will meet with government officials to discuss “our growing cooperation on global issues.”

“Secretary Kerry will also focus on strengthening our longstanding bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights,” said Elizabeth Trudeau, Director, Office of Press Relations, in a press statement in Washington DC on Wednesday.

As part of his three-nation tour, US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Bangladesh on August 29 morning between his trip from Switzerland to India.

He is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Monday morning from Geneva and depart for New Delhi later that day after talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, and meeting civil society representatives and the media.

Bangladesh and the United States have three prescribed talks - Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA), Partnership Dialogue and Security Dialogue. Security Dialogue is one of the things both Bangladesh and the US are tracking which will be held in Dhaka in October this year.

The security dialogue usually covers a broad range of topics, including strategic priorities and regional issues, security assistance, cyber-security, peacekeeping, military-to-military cooperation, and counter-terrorism.

Kerry will be in New Delhi August 29-31 to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) with other senior officials from both countries.

He and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Strategic and Commercial Dialogue is the main bilateral forum for advancing shared security and economic priorities of the United States and India, the State Department said.