White House declines to regret Bajaur air raid

White House declines to regret Bajaur air raid

WASHINGTON: The White House declined on Tuesday to express explicit regret over the US air strike aimed at al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri, which missed and killed several civilians in Pakistan.

Asked whether he would express regret for Friday’s attack, spokesman Scott McClellan declined to confirm that the United States had carried it out but said Washington would continue to target the terrorist network. "I don’t ever get into discussing any specific operational activities, or even alleged operational activities," he told reporters.

"Pakistan is a valued ally in the war on terrorism. We work closely with Pakistan and others to go after al Qaeda and bring their leaders to justice, and we will continue to do so," said the spokesman.

"The president made it very clear that we are going to continue to pursue al-Qaeda leaders and bring them to justice. There are a number that have been brought to justice, and we will continue to do so," said McClellan.

"Al-Qaeda continues to seek to do harm to the American people. There are leaders that we continue to pursue, and we will bring them to justice. The American people expect us to do so, and that’s what this president is committed to doing," he said.

Prodded on whether it might be beneficial for the Bush administration to express regret if US air strike accidentally hit civilians, McClellan replied: "I think you’ve heard our comments about matters of that nature in the past. "If I have anything additional to add, I will," he said.