Washington:
The Pentagon on Tuesday advised Pakistani military to take the extremists in the country "head on" and defeat them.
"Wherever those threats exist, we would be encouraging of the Pakistani military taking it to them head on and defeating them," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters at a press briefing when asked if the Pak military would extend its operation against the militants in the North and South Waziristan area.
"I am not going to go through a strategy; we want them to go here next and there after that. I mean, they are an independent, sovereign nation that makes decisions on its own about what's in its interests in terms of self-defence," Morrell said.
"But we are clearly encouraged by the fact that, ever since there was this encroachment on Islamabad by the Taliban and associated other militant groups, that we are seeing an
aggressive and sustained military operation in response," he said.
"We are, from a Defense Department perspective, very encouraged by the fact that they have continued these operations, and they show no signs of letting up at this point," Morrell said.
When asked about the assessment of the success of the current Pakistani military operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley and adjoining areas, he said the United States is "greatly heartened" by the fact that it has gone on as long as it has.
"I mean, one of the key things we were looking for in terms of Pakistani military operations is sustainability.
Clearly, this operation has been sustained, and in doing so I think they have enjoyed great success," Morrell said.
The Pentagon spokesman hoped that the offensive continues to the point that these militants in this region are defeated.
"We are working with the Pakistanis, to provide them with whatever they need, within reason, to ultimately prevail in these efforts," he said.
NDTV adds:America's push for an all out battle against the Taliban comes as Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari told a German newspaper that if democracy "fails" in his country and the world does NOT help, Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic extremists. He said, "If democracy in this country fails, if the world doesn't help democracy - then any eventuality is a possibility."
Even as the US intensifies pressure on Pakistan to act against the Taliban the US undersecretary of state for political affairs William Burns will arrive in India on Wednesday as part of his three day visit. According to sources India would point out to Burns that Pakistan is not doing enough to dismantle (its) terror infrastructure which affects India.