WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Pakistani leaders are getting a blunt message that the U.S. won’t tolerate further safe havens for terrorists who target Americans.
She told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that the tough message had been reinforced since U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2.
She stressed the U.S. believes that no senior Pakistani officials knew of bin Laden’s presence. But she says it’s possible that bin Laden was protected with a “wink and a nod” by lower-level officials.
She says the U.S. cannot give up on Pakistan, even if the relationship is frustrating or maddening.
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