Obama wins fresh Pak, Afghan pledge against terrorism

Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 7 (PTI) After some tough talking, US
President Barack Obama Thuursday secured a fresh pledge from
leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to "dismantle, disrupt and
defeat" the al-Qaeda and Taliban while promising to make
"every effort" to avoid civilian casualties in anti-insurgency
operations.

Obama met Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and his
Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai at the White House to forge a
common strategy to deal with a resurgent Taliban and threat
from al-Qaeda, whose leaders have found a safe haven in the
two countries.

The US has a stake in the future of the two countries,
said Obama, who had last month expressed his "grave concern"
over the situation in Pakistan describing the civilian
government there as "very fragile" and lacking the capacity
to deliver basic services.

After the trilateral summit, Obama said he was "pleased"
that Zardari and Karzai fully appreciated the seriousness of
the threat and that they had reaffirmed their commitment to
confronting it.

"And I'm pleased that we have advanced unprecedented
cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan on a bilateral
basis -- and among Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States
-- which will benefit all of our people," Obama told
reporters.

Against the backdrop of the US air raids targeting
insurgents in Afghanistan's Herat province that killed 100
civilians, Obama pledged to make "every effort" to avoid
casualties among innocent people.

"I made it clear that the United States will work with
our Afghan and international partners to make every effort to
avoid civilian casualties," he said.

Pakistan has also repeatedly protested against the US
drone attacks on high-value terrorist targets in its tribal
belt bordering Afghanistan which have claimed a number of
civilians.

Asking Pakistan and Afghanistan to "deny" al-Qaeda and
the Taliban the space they enjoy, Obama said his
administration was committed to not only defeating these
terrorist outfits, but also to support the democratically
elected governments of the two countries.

Obama, who had both separate and combined meetings with
his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, acknowledged the road
to achieve his goal to "dismantle, disrupt and defeat" the Al
Qaeda and the Taliban is going to be a tough one.

"The road ahead will be difficult. There will be more
violence, and there will be setbacks," he said.

"But let me be clear, the United States has made a
lasting commitment to defeat al-Qaeda, but also to support the
democratically elected sovereign governments of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan. That commitment will not waver, and that
support will be sustained," he asserted. PTI LKJ
SAK
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