Rubio offers US help to secure peace in escalating India-Pakistan conflict

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has offered US assistance in starting "constructive talks" to end the conflict between India and Pakistan, as the two states traded heavy missile fire on Saturday, prompting concerns over wider military escalation. Rubio has been engaged in back-and-forth diplomacy between the two countries in recent days, calling for de-escalation as India and Pakistan have been engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday. The US's top diplomat "continued to urge both parties to find ways to de-escalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks to avoid future conflicts," state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in…