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WASHINGTON : The United States on Tuesday praised Pakistan's "responsible" decision to storm a pro-Taliban mosque sheltering scores of women and children, and hailed President Pervez Musharraf as a good ally.
"Musharraf is a strong ally in the war against these extremists. I like him and I appreciate him," US President George W. Bush said at a forum in the midwestern US state of Ohio. "And that's important, to cultivate those allies."
"I am, of course, constantly working with him to make sure that democracy continues to advance in Pakistan. But he's been a valuable ally in rejecting extremists," said Bush.
At the US State Department, spokesman Tom Casey said Pakistani authorities "proceeded in a responsible way on this issue" and emphasised that the militants had "ample" opportunity to surrender peacefully.
The White House meanwhile declined to comment in detail on the fighting, which left at least 50 militants and eight soldiers dead, including the radical cleric who led the group holding the mosque.
"That's an internal matter for the Pakistani government to address," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said. "What remains clear is, in places throughout the world the threat of extremists is real."
Musharraf, a key US ally who has been under pressure to curb extremism, authorised the storming of the Red Mosque in central Islamabad after talks with radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi failed.
Ghazi was shot dead in the fighting and Islamabad hailed his death as a major setback to the rebels, some allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The attack followed a week-long siege which had itself cost 24 lives.
Casey said the Pakistani government "made a number of efforts to try and resolve this peacefully. Certainly, no one wants to see loss of life, and certainly loss of innocent lives, in this process."
"Ultimately, all governments have responsibility to preserve order and to try and take steps against terrorists and those that commit criminal actions too," he said.
At the Ohio forum, Bush said in response to Islamist indoctrination of children that he believed that education was a key factor in the recruitment of extremists.
"We're working with governments, such as Musharraf's government, to address the madrasahs. Education matters a lot, whether it be in helping to eradicate poverty or helping to deal with radicalism," he said. - AFP/de
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