The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Islamabad

Pakistan's leader said Monday he expects President-elect Barack Obama to re-evaluate the need for U.S. military strikes on al-Qaida and Taliban targets on Pakistan's side of the Afghan border.

In an interview with The Associated Press, President Asif Ali Zardari warned that the surge in missile attacks since August was hurting Pakistan's own fight against the militants - a campaign he said was succeeding nonetheless.

The 52-year-old president is under intense U.S. pressure to take firmer action against militants in the rugged and lawless northwest border zone, a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and what many consider to be the global front line in the fight against al-Qaida.

In what is seen as a sign of American frustration with Islamabad's perceived inability to deal with the militants, the U.S. military is believed to have carried out at least 18 missile attacks on suspected militant targets close to the border in Pakistan since August.

The missiles are believed to be fired from unmanned planes launched in Afghanistan, where some 32,000 U.S. troops are fighting a resurgent Taliban insurgency.

Zardari said he believed Obama would re-examine that strategy, but acknowledged that the Democrat - who struck a sometimes-hawkish tone on dealing with Pakistan during the election - may continue with the attacks.

Obama has openly supported U.S. strikes in the lawless and rugged border region, and has questioned whether Pakistan has done enough to fight militants despite receiving billions of dollars in U.S. aid since 2001.

During the campaign, Obama said if he is elected, he could launch unilateral attacks on high-value terrorist targets in Pakistan as they become exposed and "if Pakistan cannot or will not act" against them.