In other news, America's attempts to strengthen its ties with Afghan President Hamid Karzai received an unexpected hard blow, as the Afghan leader said his country would back Pakistan in a clash with the US.  

"If Pakistan is attacked and the people of Pakistan need Afghanistan's help, we will be there for Pakistan. We will never forget the hospitality of the Pakistani people,' Karzai told Geo News in an interview.  

According to some Afghan and Western officials in Kabul, the prospects of a US war with Pakistan are remote, and Karzai's comments are nothing but poorly executed effort to blunt his recent angry comments about Pakistan''s support for Afghan insurgent groups, the Wall Street Journal reports.