The goal of the United States is to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat Al Qaeda

"Our national security as well as the future of Afghanistan depends on a stable, democratic, and economically viable Pakistan. We applaud the new Pakistani determination to deal with the militants to threaten their democracy and our shared security," Ms. Clinton said on Wednesday.


In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ms. Clinton said, the goal of the United States is to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat Al Qaeda and its extremist allies and to prevent their return to either country.


"Yet Americans often ask why do we ask our young men and women to risk their lives in Afghanistan when Al Qaeda's leadership is in neighbouring Pakistan? That question deserves a good answer," she said.