Anxious US hails Pakistan assault on Taliban

US: The United States on Tuesday welcomed Pakistan's military action against Taliban militants, even as hopes faded for an emergency package of US aid for the country.

US officials praised military operations in Pakistan's northwest this week after expressing alarm over the Taliban's advances beyond the Swat Valley in recent weeks.

The assaults were "exactly the appropriate response to the offensive operations by the Taliban and other militants over the past few weeks," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference.

But he said it was crucial the Pakistani military keep up the offensive and said it was unclear if Taliban forces would be pursued beyond the Buner region and into the Swat Valley.

"The test of all of these Pakistani military operations because we've seen them from time to time in the past is always their sustainability," Morrell said.

In Washington, lawmakers sought ways to speed aid to Pakistan amid deep and growing worries about the nuclear-armed country's stability, even as the possibility faded of a speedy emergency assistance package of up to 400 million dollars.

Top members of the House of Representatives met late Tuesday and agreed to move ahead with an 83.4-billion-dollar supplemental spending bill, which could now face a vote by mid-June, a knowledgeable source said.

"We will do aid to Pakistan but (it is) now likely to be part of the supp(lemental) which will be on the floor in two weeks rather than broken out and passed early," said the congressional source.

President Barack Obama's new strategy for the Afghan war hinges in part on persuading neighboring Pakistan to crack down on Islamist militants through generous offers of economic and military aid.

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, AFP