'US not to walk away from Afghanistan and Pakistan'

As President Barack Obama reviews the Af-Pak policy, a top US official today said that Washington stands firm on its long-term commitment to the region and US will not walk away from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We are talking about how to best carry out that commitment, how we can best serve our interests and those in the region," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters.

"I have heard no one say that we are prepared to walk away from Afghanistan or Pakistan or the region, expressly because it is in our interest," he said.

"I have heard no US Government official, from the President down wards, say that there's anything but a long-term commitment to the region and a long-term commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan," Crowley said.

His remarks come as Obama continued his review of the new policy with his top security advisers amidst requests by his army for inducting around 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Given the fact that former Soviet Union left Afghanistan in 1988, leaders from Pakistan and Afghanistan of late have expressed their apprehension that the US may do the same when its objectives in the region to defeat the al-Qaeda and the Taliban are achieved.

"Now, how will we do that best going forward? That is the purpose of these series of meetings and this broad review," he said.