The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US President George W. Bush will meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday in an effort to press Islamabad to take a tougher stance against Pakistani-based Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, who launch attacks against Afghanistan.

Bush said he was "troubled" by the movement of extremists from Pakistan to Afghanistan and would discuss the threat with Gilani, who is making his first White House visit since he took over the helm in March. Gilani is well aware of the stakes for the trip, which comes amid mounting fears that the US is prepared to launch military "hot pursuit" raids into Pakistan's troubled tribal belt in pursuit of extremists.

"It is in the interest of Pakistan to curb extremism and terrorism," Gilani told reporters before leaving for the three-day official visit. But he will be under pressure to explain his government's counterterrorism strategy-or, as some experts see, the lack of one.

"I think Gilani has his work cut out for him in terms of explaining how his government intends to get a handle on this problem, which is not only a Pakistani problem but a problem for the international community as well," said Lisa Curtis, a former State Department advisor and ex-CIA analyst.

Meanwhile, a suspected U.S. missile strike on a Pakistani madrasa killed six people, including foreigners, on Monday in tribal lands regarded as an al Qaeda and Taliban hotbed, intelligence officials said.

The target of the pre-dawn attack was a house close to a madrasa used by militants near Azam Warsak village, about 20 km (12 miles) west of Wana, the main town of the South Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan. The attack, one of many in recent months, was launched hours before Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was due to meet President George W. Bush in Washington for talks.

that will focus on the conduct of the war against terrorism.

The United States, alarmed by rising casualties among Western forces in Afghanistan, wants Pakistan to do more to contain the al Qaeda and Taliban threat in its territory.