NEW DELHI: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says terror groups working together around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border benefit from each other's success and pose a threat to the entire region.

Gates, speaking Wednesday in India, says no nation is immune. He listed several terror groups he says operate under the umbrella of al-Qaida, including the Taliban and a separate group blamed for last year's deadly attack in Mumbai, India.

Gates says that when one group succeeds in carrying out an attack, all of them gain in capability and reputation.

Gates also says India and Pakistan should cooperate against a threat that affects them both. He urged both nations to speak frankly and help one another.