US 'out of line' on terror remarks: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Office Thursday said a warning by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the United States would retaliate against insurgents on its soil was ‘out of line’ with their joint counter-terror efforts.

A day after a 19-hour Taliban assault in Kabul, Panetta had expressed frustration that the Pakistan government has failed to crack down on Haqqani network militants, who Washington suspects were behind the attack.

"I'm not going to talk about how we're going to respond. I'll just let you know that we're not going to allow these kinds of attacks to go on," he said.

But foreign ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua said Panetta's comments were not in keeping with the two countries' allied anti-terrorism efforts.

"These remarks are out of line with the kind of cooperation that exists between the two countries. Terrorism and militancy is a complex issue," she said.

"It requires cooperation between all the countries concerned. Pakistan's cooperation in this regard has been persistent."

US officials have for years demanded Islamabad move against militants operating within its borders.

But the Pakistan army counters that it has lost more than 3,000 soldiers in its anti-terror efforts since 2001 and does not have the resources available to fulfill US demands.

"We have identified our position on all these issues. Pakistan and US are strategic partners and both sides need to discuss all issues in a cooperative manner," Janjua added.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010