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US sez hunt for al-Qaeda leadership will go on
The White House on Tuesday refused to discuss a U.S. airstrike at a Pakistani village that has prompted outrage in the country but said Washington would continue to work with Islamabad to hunt members of al Qaeda."I don't ever get into discussing any specific operational activities or even alleged operational activities," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "Pakistan is a valued ally in the war on terrorism. We work closely with Pakistan and others to go after al Qaeda and bring their leaders to justice. We will continue to do so," he said. Protests erupted in Pakistan after a U.S. airstrike last Friday that Pakistani and U.S. sources said was aimed at al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri. It killed at least 18 people, including women and children, in a village near the Afghan border. U.S. officials believe that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Zawahri are hiding along the mountainous border region. "Al Qaeda continues to seek to do harm to the American people," McClellan said. "There are leaders who we continue to pursue and we will bring them to justice. The American people expect us to do so and that's what this president is committed to doing." Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-01-18 |
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