US, Pakistan renew anti-terror commitment

Kerry vows to boost security, intelligence efforts to support fight against militants

The United States will boost its security and intelligence efforts as the Pakistani government moves against militants in its restive northwest region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday, in the wake of the shocking school massacre last month.

Pakistan began a full-scale offensive against Taliban and other militants in its North Waziristan tribal district in June, a long-standing demand of Washington that had for years called for action against groups that used the region to launch cross-border attacks against US troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Speaking at a news conference with Pakistan's national security adviser Sartaj Aziz, Kerry praised the Pakistani military's operation against militants, calling the results "significant".

"The operation is not yet complete, but already the results are significant. Pakistani soldiers and their commanders deserve enormous credit.

"I emphasize that the US is committed to deepening our security relationship with Pakistan in order to eliminate threats in the border area and elsewhere," he said.

Last month's massacre at a school in Pakistan by the Pakistani Taliban, which left 150 dead, mostly students, triggered global outrage. The government announced it would form military courts and end a moratorium on the death penalty for convicted militants.

7 militants hanged

Pakistan executed seven militants on Tuesday, bringing to 16 the total number executed since December.

"The tragedy of Dec 16 is really a reminder of the serious risk of allowing extremists to find space, and be able to command that space and operate within it," Kerry said.

Pakistani officials have said Kerry plans to visit Peshawar, but the US State Department did not confirm that. Kerry was due to leave for Geneva, Switzerland, later on Friday.

Kerry warned that all terror groups, including both the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba, "continue to pose a threat not just to Pakistan and its neighbors but also to the United States and the world".

"Make no mistake the task is a difficult one, and it is not done," Kerry said.

"We all have a responsibility to ensure that these extremists are no longer able to secure a foothold in this country or elsewhere."

Washington has pressed Islamabad for years to wipe out militant sanctuaries in lawless tribal areas such as North Waziristan, which have been used to launch attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan.

An 'asset'

Many believe Pakistan's security services see the Haqqanis as an asset and maintain close links with them.

But Aziz vowed on Tuesday that Pakistan would take action "without discrimination against all groups" seen as spreading terror both in Pakistan and its neighbors, and that no group would be spared.

Both leaders put the fight against terror attacks at the top of their agendas, insisting security was vital to ensure Pakistan's long-term stability and prosperity.

"Over the past six decades our relations have seen their share of peaks and troughs, but even at the most difficult of times, both sides have never wavered in their desire to remain engaged," Aziz said.

AFP - AP - Xinhua