Pak under pressure from extremists: Hillary

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that having launched a military operation against the Taliban militants in the Swat valley, Pakistan has come under intense pressure. Clinton said this while announcing that she would be visiting the country "this fall".

"Pakistan is itself under intense pressure from extremist groups," Clinton said in a major foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank.

Referring to the recent tri-lateral meetings initiated by her, Clinton said trilateral cooperation among Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US has built confidence and yielded progress on a number of policy fronts.

"Our national security as well as the future of Afghanistan depends on a stable, democratic, and economically viable Pakistan. We applaud the new Pakistani determination to deal with the militants to threaten their democracy and our shared security," Clinton said on Wednesday.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Clinton said, the goal of the United States is to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat Al-Qaida and its extremist allies and to prevent their return to either country.

"Yet Americans often ask why do we ask our young men and women to risk their lives in Afghanistan when Al-Qaida's leadership is in neighbouring Pakistan? That question deserves a good answer," she said.

"We and our allies fight in Afghanistan because the Taliban protects Al-Qaida and depends on it for support, sometimes, coordinating activities. In other words, to eliminate Al-Qaida, we must also fight the Taliban," Clinton said.

"Now, we understand that not all those who fight with the Taliban support Al-Qaida or believe in the extremist policies the Taliban pursued when in power," she said.

"Today, we and our Afghan allies stand ready to welcome anyone supporting the Taliban who renounces Al-Qaida, lays down their arms, and is willing to participate in the free and open society that is enshrined in the Afghan constitution. To achieve our goals, President Obama is sending an additional 17,000 troops and 4,000 military trainers to Afghanistan," the top US diplomat said.

Equally important, the Obama Administration is sending hundreds of direct-hire American civilians to lead a new efforts to strengthen the Afghan government, help rebuild the once-vibrant agriculture sector, create jobs, encourage the rule of law, expand opportunities for women, and train the Afghan police, she said.

"No one should doubt our commitment to Afghanistan and its people, but it is the Afghan people themselves who will determine their own future. As we proceed, we must not forget that success in Afghanistan also requires close cooperation from neighbouring Pakistan which I will visit this fall," Clinton said.