Washington,
Jan 28 (ANI): Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the United States
will continue to carry out missile strikes against al Qaeda militants
hiding in Pakistan.

Pakistani
officials have complained publicly about the attacks from unmanned US
aircraft in the Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan, saying that these
strikes are a violation of its sovereignty and will increase public
resentment towards both Pakistan Government and the United States.

US
officials normally decline to comment publicly on reports of the
missile strikes, but Gates made an exception when asked about
Pakistan’s complaints at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services
Committee.

It was the first time that Gates has testified before Congress as Obama’s Pentagon chief, The Daily Times reported.

“Both
President Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go
after al Qaeda wherever it is and we will continue to pursue that,”
Gates said.

Asked
by committee chairman Senator Carl Levin, if that decision had been
conveyed to the Pakistani Government, Gates replied: “Yes, sir.”

He described the war in Afghanistan as the US military’s greatest challenge and top priority under President Barack Obama.

“There
is little doubt that our greatest military challenge right now is
Afghanistan,” he said. “President Obama has made it clear that the
Afghanistan theatre should be our top overseas military priority.”

Gates
said US and NATO military operations that killed civilians caused
‘enormous harm’ to American interests in Afghanistan, and added a
shortage of ground forces led to over-reliance on airstrikes.

“My
worry is that the Afghans come to see us as part of the problem rather
than part of the solution, and then we are lost,” he warned. “We have
got to figure out a better way to do these things.” (ANI)