Obama warned that if elected president he would be prepared to order military strikes against Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, even if Islamabad objects.
WASHINGTON: Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama warned on Wednesday that if elected president he would be prepared to order military strikes against Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, even if Islamabad objects.
In a major speech laying out his anti-terrorism strategy, the Illinois senator was also to propose one billion dollars in extra non-military aid for Afghanistan, and accuse President George W. Bush of botching the war on terror.
Obama responded to recent intelligence reports that Al-Qaeda has regrouped in remote Pakistani tribal areas.
"I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges," Obama said in excerpts from the speech released by his 2008 presidential campaign.
"But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans ... if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."
The Bush administration last week attempted to smooth a row with Pakistan over intelligence reports suggesting an Al-Qaeda resurgence in wild lawless areas over which the Islamabad government has little control.
Senior State Department official Nicholas Burns told a Senate committee the administration retained the option of targeting Osama bin Laden's terror group in the region but was also keen to respect Pakistani sovereignty.
Pakistan had earlier reacted angrily to threats of action against the targets.
Pakistani foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said any such action would be "unacceptable," counterproductive and fan public anger.
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