Af-Pak border is epicentre of terrorism: Clinton

I / Washington September 22, 2009, 10:26 IST

Asserting that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is the epicentre of terrorism, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the goal of the Obama Administration is to protect the US and its allies from terrorists living in this part of the world.     

"Our goal is to protect the United States, our allies, our friends around the world, from what is the epicentre of terrorism; namely, the Afghanistan-Pakistan border."

In an interview with News Hour, Clinton added: "Some people say al-Qaida is no longer in Afghanistan. If Afghanistan were taken over by the Taliban, I can tell you how fast al-Qaida would be back in Afghanistan." she said.     

The Obama Administration is trying to sort out all of the different factors and come to the resolution based on the best information it has, she said.     

Clinton also added the new Afghan policy would be on hold till a new government in the country is in place.     

The results of the August 20 presidential elections are yet to be declared, delayed because of the large scale allegations of voters fraud.

"We're not going to make any decisions of any significance until we know the outcome of this election. We have to know who our counterparts are in order to deal with issues in the nation," Clinton said.     

"The real question, however, is not who gets elected, but what do they do once they are elected?  How do they build the confidence of their own people that they're a government that cares about the Afghan people, that they are delivering services, that they are combating corruption, improving governance."

Clinton added the Obama Administration is receiving its feedback from various sources including General Stanley McChrystal who is the US and NATO Commander in Afghanistan.     

"Based on the assessment by our feedback sources, we will present our best recommendations to the President," she said.