Engagement in Pakistan key to defeating terror: US

A continued engagement in Pakistan and following through on US commitments to Afghanistan's long-term stability are essential for defeating terrorism, says US Defence Secretary Leon E. Panetta.

The new US commander for Afghanistan, Gen Joseph Dunford, also emphasised at a congressional hearing the need to assure Pakistan that the US would stay engaged with the region after 2014 as well.

The US plans to withdraw most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by 2014.

In a Tuesday night speech at the Center for New American Security, Secretary Panetta noted that despite challenges in the bilateral relationship, the United States and Pakistan had "one area in which our national interests continue to align, defeating the terrorists on Pakistan soil that threaten both of us". That's why "we remain committed to pursuing defence cooperation based on these shared interests," he said.

Panetta warned that "killing our enemy will never be enough" to defeat terrorism.

"The United States must stay involved and invest through diplomacy, through development, through education, through trade in those regions of the world where violent extremism has flourished," he said.

According to the American Forces Press Service, Panetta underlined two key points for defeating al-Qaida and other terrorist groups: close work with partners and continued US involvement in regions where violent extremism has flourished.

Fighting the war against al-Qaida and its affiliates, ending the war in Afghanistan, encountering nuclear proliferation and improving cyber-security were among the top priorities of the US defence strategy.

"But … the goal that still remains at the top of the priority list (is) to disrupt, degrade, dismantle and ultimately defeat those who attacked America on 9/11 – al-Qaida," the US defence secretary said.

The essential first step for defeating al-Qaida, he said, was to finish the job that the United States and its coalition partners began in Afghanistan.

Panetta noted that prolonged military and intelligence operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan had significantly weakened al-Qaida, "but the challenge is far from over".

A key step in achieving the end of al-Qaida, he added, involved maintaining pressure on the group in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. That means working to build the capacity of US partners, including Pakistan, to confront these shared threats, Panetta said.

At his confirmation hearing, Gen Dunford told US lawmakers that a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan would also send a clear message to Pakistan.

"I believe Pakistan hedges its bets based on what they believe our long-term commitment to the region would be," the new Isaf commander said.

"And their calculus will be changed as a result of their knowing that we are not only going to be there through December 2014, but we will be there beyond December 2014 to secure our national objectives."

Gen Dunford, who replaces Gen John Allen as the Isaf commander, also said that the relationship between India and Pakistan was critical for regional stability and American success in Afghanistan.

"At this point I don't have insight into what our government is doing to try to work the very delicate relationship between Pakistan and India," he said. "But I'm aware that it is going to be critical to regional stability in the long term and our success in Afghanistan."

Gen Dunford said the ground lines of communication through Pakistan were the most efficient and inexpensive way to get the US equipment out of Afghanistan.

He said that the issue of the IEDs needed to be addressed and "Pakistan is the number one area where we need to make progress on IEDs".

Another major issue that needed to be discussed, he said, was the presence of safe havens in Pakistan.