President Obama Wednesday pledged economic, infrastructure and other assistance to help Pakistan and Afghanistan stabilize and thwart extremist groups he said pose a continued threat to the United States.
“The road ahead will be difficult, there will be more violence and there will be setbacks,” Obama said. “But let me be clear: The United States has made a lasting commitment to defeat al Qaeda, but also to support…both Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
The announcement followed a set of meetings between the three leaders aimed at positioning the two, wary neighbors on the same side as the U.S. against al Qaeda and the Taliban.
In meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Obama and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton made the case for shared interests and mutual benefit in joining forces against a common enemy.
“We have made this a common cause because we face a common threat and we have a common task and a common challenge,” Clinton told the visiting leaders. “We know that each of your countries is struggling with extremists who would destabilize and undermine your democracy.”
Casting a shadow over the talks were U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan estimated to have killed up to 100 civilians. Foreign press reports described an hour-long bombardment on two villages near the Iranian border aimed at Taliban militants.
Clinton expressed “deep regret” to Karzai over the incident and promised a joint investigation of the bombings with Afghan authorities.
Several issues in the region have the White House on high alert, including stepped-up Taliban activity inside Pakistan, al Qaeda leaders on the loose in the border areas and the prospect of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal being captured by hostile extremists.
Instability in Pakistan also threatens Obama’s efforts to end the war in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, the president committed 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, risking his own political capital on the seemingly endless conflict.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have long been at odds, with successive leaders blaming each other for unrest on their shared border.
Karzai and Zardari are both unpopular and politically weakened at home — further complicating the administration’s efforts to stabilize the region.
Gen. James Jones, Obama’s national security adviser, said both leaders emerged from the meetings with an understanding that this is “not an individual national problem,” but instead is a “regional problem.”
In remarks after the meetings concluded, Obama made repeated mention of al Qaeda but did not mention the Taliban. Jones said the omission reflects the administration’s focus on al Qaeda, but added, “we’re also focused on extremism of any kind.”
