US Vice President Dick Cheney has ruled out taking direct action against al Qaeda in Pakistan.
Washington, Aug 2 : US Vice President Dick Cheney has ruled out taking direct action against al Qaeda in Pakistan.
"We work closely with President Pervez Musharraf and his Government in Pakistan. We've captured and killed a lot of al Qaeda in Pakistan. But it's obviously a sovereign state. They've got reason to go after al Qaeda," he told CNN.
Responding to a query about whether Pakistan had asked the US to launch an operation against extremists, Cheney said, "Well, I don't expect that to happen."
Commenting on US-Pakistan bilateral ties, he said the relationship between them is a "good one" at present, adding, "We have been able to collaborate closely together on a wide range of operations. And, I think we'll be able to continue doing that."
Defence and intelligence officials recently conceded in a testimony before the US Congress that tribal areas in North Waziristan had become a "safe haven" for al Qaeda, following the collapse of a peace deal that was signed between the Musharraf regime and tribals in September 2006, the Daily Times reported.
ANI