Washington, July 20 (IANS) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked Pakistan to give US intelligence on Al Qaeda and its elusive leader Osama bin Laden as it’s personal between her and the terror group.
‘I want those guys,’ she said. ‘I assume somebody in this (Pakistani) government, from top to bottom, does know where bin Laden is, and I’d like to know too,’ Clinton told Fox News Channel from Kabul where she is convening an international donors conference on Afghanistan.
‘It’s not yet what I want to be,’ Clinton said of US-Pakistani cooperation against Al Qaeda. ‘Having been a senator from New York on 9/11, I want those guys – I mean, I will not be satisfied until we get them,’ said Clinton, who spent the weekend in Pakistan shoring up frayed relations.
Clinton also noted Pakistan’s internal political problems in moving against Pakistani elements of the Taliban who are believed to be sheltering Al Qaeda. But she added that the US would stay in the region for the long-term to provide support.
‘This is tough,’ Clinton said. ‘I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s not, but boy, do I think it would be a mistake to walk away.’
Clinton added: ‘We’ve done that. We have walked away from both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past, with all the consequences we’re well aware of.’
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
