Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Paying tribute to the victims and martyrs of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Tuesday laid a wreath at a police memorial in south Mumbai.

Napolitano observed a brief period of silence to express her solidarity with those who lost their lives in the attack.

The police memorial was built to commemorate the 16 policemen who lost their lives while fighting terrorists during the three-day attack in November 2008.

Earlier Tuesday, Napolitano began a four-day visit to India, her first to this country. She will leave for New Delhi later in the day.

In New Delhi, Napolitano and Home Minister P. Chidambaram will jointly launch the US-India Homeland Security dialogue.

According to a US embassy statement, she will meet Indian officials and private industry to share best practices to promote homeland security and coordinate counter-terrorism and law enforcement cooperation.