Pak vows to continue fight against al-Qaeda

Isalamabad, Sep 21: Pakistan has dismissed a reported declaration of war by Osama bin Laden against President Pervez Musharraf, vowing that the country's fight against al Qaeda will continue.

Pakistan military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said the armed forces are committed to fighting extremists and terrorists, according to media reports.

''We are already committed to fighting extremists and terrorists -- there is no change in our policy,'' Gen Arshad said.

''If someone is hurling threats at us, that is their view. The whole nation is behind us and the Pakistan army is a national institution,'' he added.

Osama bin Laden, in a new tape, vowed to retaliate against Gen Pervez Musharraf for the killing of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and the raid on the mosque in July.

More than 100 of rebels were killed in an assault on the radical Lal Masjid in Islamabad.

UNI