'US would invade Pak to eradicate terror cells'

WASHINGTON: Criticising the Bush administration for its counter-terrorism policies, Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards on Saturday said he would invade Pakistan to eradicate terror cells if there were actionable intelligence and the US-ally refuses to act.

"I want to be clear about one thing. If we have actionable intelligence about imminent terrorist activity and the Pakistan government refuses to act, we will," Edwards said at a campaign rally at Pace University in New York.

Maintaining that the US has not used every available tool in the book to pressurise countries like Pakistan to shut down terror camps, the 2004 vice-presidential candidate said, "We ought to use our tremendous tools, diplomacy, arm sales, trade, foreign aid, to get states to shut down terror cells.

"The recent national intelligence estimate found that Al-Qaida had established a safe haven in the northwest tribal areas of Pakistan," he said, adding we have given Musharraf government billions of dollars of aid in last several years, yet they have done little to get control over these areas.

Edward, a former Senator from North Carolina, also said that future American aid to Pakistan should be provided on the progress by made it, which includes strengthening the reach of police forces and working more effectively with tribal leaders and their members to ensure their acceptance of the government.