US assures Pakistan anti-terror help after bombing (2nd Roundup)

Oct 28, 2009, 19:58 GMT

   Islamabad - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday assured Pakistan full support in its struggle against terrorism, after a car bombing killed more than 80 people in the Islamic country's north-western region.

   'These attacks on the innocent people are cowardly. They are not courageous, they are cowardly,' she told reporters after a meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.

   A few hours after Clinton started her three-day visit of the Islamic country, a car bomb ripped through a crowded market in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, killing at least 87 people and injuring around 150.

   Most of the victims were women and children.

   'Pakistan is in the midst of an ongoing struggle against tenacious and brutal extremist groups who kill innocent people and terrorize communities,' the top US diplomat said.

   'These extremists are committed to destroying that which is dear to us as much as they are committed to destroying that which is dear to you and to all people. So this is our struggle as well,' she said.

   'We will give you the help that you need in order to achieve your goal.'

   Taliban militants have recently intensified strikes on civilian and official targets in Pakistan to avenge a crucial army offensive in their heartland, South Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

   Around 300 people, many of them civilians, have died in suicide bombings and militant raids only in October.

   The Waziristan region has turned into one of the major hubs of international terrorism with hundreds of al-Qaeda militants running training camps and planning attacks abroad.

   The United States has long pressed Pakistan for an all-out offensive against Taliban militants launching cross-border attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan.

   More than 30,000 Pakistani foot soldiers are facing intense resistance from well-trained and -equipped guerrilla fighters who take advantage of the difficult terrain in South Waziristan to carry out surprise raids on the soldiers.

   Some Islamist political parties have criticised the Pakistani government, which they say has provoked the Taliban by moving against them on US orders.

   But Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi said on Wednesday that his government was targeting the insurgents because it wanted stability and peace.

   'You think by attacking innocent people and lives you will shake our determination, no sir you will not, we will be more determined to fight you and defeat you for our own reasons,' he said.

   'We will not buckle. We will fight you,' Qureshi said. 'You are on the run and we know that.'

   Clinton promised a fresh start in relations with Pakistan, where anti-Americanism has risen sharply in recent years. During a meeting with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Clinton pledged 243.5 million dollars in aid to help with humanitarian needs, law enforcement, border security and to support women and their families, the US State Department told reporters in Washington.

   'This is a critical moment and the United States seeks to turn the page to a new partnership, with not only the government but the people of a democratic Pakistan,' she said.

   During her visit, Clinton was scheduled to hold talks with Pakistani political and military leaders as well as elders from the troubled north-western region, business leaders and students. She was also scheduled to visit cultural sites.