‘Road will be difficult, but US committed to defeat terrorism’

WASHINGTON: Asking Pakistan and Afghanistan to "deny" Al Qaeda and the Taliban the space they enjoy, US President Barack Obama said his administration is committed to not only defeat these terrorist outfits, but also support the democratically elected governments of the two countries.

In his remarks after having separate and combined meetings with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, Asif Ali Zardari, and Hamid Karzai, respectively, Obama acknowledged the road to achieve his goal to "dismantle, disrupt and defeat" the Al Qaeda and the Taliban is going to be a tough one.

"The road ahead will be difficult. There will be more violence, and there will be setbacks," he said.

"But let me be clear, the United States has made a lasting commitment to defeat Al Qaida, but also to support the democratically elected sovereign governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. That commitment will not waver, and that support will be sustained," he asserted.

"Every day, we see evidence of the future that Al Qaida and its allies offer. It's a future filled with violence and despair. It's a future without opportunity or hope. That's not what the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan want, and it's not what they deserve," he said.