Pakistani forces are close to uprooting Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the country's lawless area of south Waziristan, a top US General said on Saturday, but advised that the military needed to hold onto these captured territories.

Pakistan should put the cleared territories under a senior Corps Commander for post-conflict vigilance and rebuilding to ensure that these areas don't slide back to become terrorist havens, General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command, said.

Attributing the sudden rise in Taliban suicide attacks across Pakistan to the army striking decisive blows to their strongholds, the US commander said the military needed to continue their focus on the campaign.

"When you go into the enemy's safe havens and sanctuaries, they come after you; and they try to open up new areas. It's always been the case," Patreaus said in an interview.

I think we have said that as Pakistan remains serious, and continues to build on the progress it achieved in Swat in NWFP. They have launched the operations into South Waziristan, as they have now, and are almost getting close to their final objectives, the enemy is going to fight back, he said.

While commending the strong military action taken by the Pakistani forces against terrorist groups inside the country, Petraeus said the situation there is still tough.

The US General, whose command stretches to US forces in Afghanistan, said the Pakistani military campaign in Waziristan, Swat and other rescue areas close to the Afghan frontier indicated that Islamabad had now come to realise that the existential threat to the country that is most pressing, at the very least, is the internal extremists, not necessarily India.

... contd.