Afghanistan, Pakistan in new anti-militant front: Obama

President Barack Obama Wednesday said the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan had forged a new front against extremists.

Obama gathered Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari for one-on-one talks, and a trilateral summit, hoping to ease years of mistrust between the neighbors in the name of defeating the Taliban.

"I'm pleased that these two men, elected leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, fully appreciate the seriousness of the threat that we face, and have reaffirmed their commitment to confronting it," Obama said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meanwhile said the talks, which will continue at cabinet level were showing "very promising early signs."

Obama called the three-way meetings as he pushes for a combined drive between Pakistan and Afghanistan to crush the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

For his part Zardari is seeking US military aid and political support, while Karzai hopes to purge Taliban havens in Pakistan, which are destabilizing his country.

The talks came amid fresh waves of deadly clashes in Pakistan's Swat valley in which the military said it had killed more than 80 militants in an upsurge of fighting.

Pakistan's cash-strapped government was making emergency preparations to shelter up to 500,000 people expected to flee Swat and local officials said tens of thousands had already left the district's main town.

The talks also coincided with fresh reports from Afghan police that US-led air strikes targeting insurgents had killed 100 people, most of them civilians, in one of the deadliest battles in nearly eight years.

The US military opened an investigation into the operation in the remote western province of Farah, and Karzai ordered his government to probe reports of high civilian casualties.

"I made it clear that the United States will work with our Afghan and international partners to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties," Obama said after talks with the two presidents.

Clinton, who met the two leaders before Obama, also added condolences. "I wish to express my personal regret and certainly the sympathy of our administration on the loss of civilian life in Afghanistan," she said.

"We deeply regret it. We don't know all of the circumstances or causes. And there will be a joint investigation by your government and ours," Clinton told Karzai. But Clinton also expressed hope the Washington talks would renew the battered joint effort to combat extremism.

"I am very optimistic that this process is making a difference," Clinton said, though she added she was aware that a few meetings could not on their own solve the myriad of issues confronting the two nations.

"Both Presidents spoke very movingly about the threat and dangers of terrorism," Clinton said, adding she was "extremely impressed" by the candor of the two leaders and their delegations.

Clinton said on Wednesday she was impressed with recent efforts by Pakistan to fight extremism, following her recent harsh criticisms of its conduct.

"Well, I'm actually quite impressed by the actions that the Pakistani government is now taking," Clinton said, adding there was a "resolve going forward" in Islamabad's struggle against the Taliban.

Last month, Clinton warned that Pakistan was "abdicating" to the Taliban by allowing extremists to impose Islamic law in parts of the country.

Ten days ago, Pakistan launched offensives in Buner and Lower Dir districts to flush out advancing armed Taliban.

Islamabad had been heavily criticized for a February deal which put three million people in the northwest under sharia law in a bid to end an uprising, which instead saw the Taliban push further south towards the capital.

Zardari sounded a strong note of support for the common fight against insurgents. "We stand with our brother Karzai and the people of Afghanistan against this common threat, this menace, which I have called a cancer," Zardari said.

He said Pakistan bore a "huge burden" in fighting both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but added "we are up to the challenge because we are the democracy and democracy is the only cure to this challenge."

WASHINGTON, Friday, AFP