U.S. condemns attack on Sri Lanka´s cricket team in Pakistan

Source: Xinhua | 03-04-2009 09:25

WASHINGTON, Mar. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan, saying the country's frontier regions still is the safe heave for terrorists.

"Obviously, we are deeply concerned," Obama told reporters in the White House after meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Eight people were killed and seven other wounded on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen attacked the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity," said Obama.

"The truth is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated, the safe havens for al-Qaida remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan and we are conducting currently a comprehensive review of our policies," the president said.

The Pakistani government has been under increasing pressure from Washington and the neighboring India and Afghanistan who accuse Islamabad of failing to take effective measures to fight against terrorists in its country.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday condemned the attack, which was the first deadly attack targeted a foreign sports team in Pakistan.

"We condemn this vicious attack on innocent civilians but also on the positive relations that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are trying to enjoy," said deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid. "This is an attack on peaceful, normal relations, and we utterly condemn this terrorist attack."

Editor:Zhang Pengfei