Lahore, Jan 18 (ANI): US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that Washington is trying to understand ground realities before taking any action inside tribal areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

“We’re trying to make sure we understand ground truth before we take any action so that it not be misperceived but contribute to their stability,” he told reporters.

“For al Qaeda and some of the other insurgent groups along that border to turn against the Pakistani government and take on the government, and this has always been an area that has not been fully under the control of Islamabad or where there has been a significant military presence,” Gates said.

“And so I think that the Pakistani Government, frankly, is dealing with the emergence of a threat inside Pakistan that it has not confronted until very recently. And it’s not a surprise to me that they’re having some challenges in trying to deal with that,” he added.

"We're assessing what value we could have, or any other ally could have, in contributing to their security," the Daily Times quoted Gates, as saying.

Washington is reportedly considering military operations inside Pakistan allegedly to hunt militants who use the country's tribal regions as hideouts.

US-led forces have already launched several air strikes on North Waziristan and in the Bajaur tribal area, killing dozens of civilians. (ANI)