Pakistan said it was determined to fight the Taliban and prevent militants from using its territory to launch attacks, hours after US Vice President Dick Cheney met President Pervez Musharraf and expressed apprehensions on the regrouping of the Al Qaeda.
"Pakistan will take whatever action is necessary to prevent its territory from being used by Taliban or any other element to launch attacks inside Afghanistan," Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said in a statement Monday night.
Referring to the serious concerns expressed by Cheney on regrouping of Al Qaeda in tribal areas and the impending Taliban spring offence in Afghanistan, Aslam said "Pakistan is determined to continue its fight against terrorism, in particular against Al Qaeda. We are equally determined to curb Taliban militancy and Talibanisation in the tribal areas".
She said Cheney had shared US concerns and assessment in the context of intelligence and security cooperation between Pakistan and NATO and Afghanistan for counter-terrorism.
The US Vice President, who made a surprise visit to Islamabad and had two-hour long meeting with Musharraf, "expressed US apprehensions of regrouping of Al Qaeda in the tribal areas and called for concerted efforts in countering the threat", the statement said. He expressed serious concerns on the intelligence being picked up of an impending Taliban and Al Qaeda "spring offensive" against allied forces in Afghanistan, it said.
