Asked if the US might send ground troops from Afghanistan to attack targets in Pakistan, Panetta refused to rule it out. "I’m not going to go into particulars," he said. "It’s about protecting our forces and trying to urge the Pakistanis to take the steps they have to take to control the situation."
Panetta spoke alongside Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who called for joint action by the US-backed Afghan puppet regime and the Pakistani government in Islamabad. "I do hope," he said, "that gradually they will come to the conclusion to cooperate with us. If that cooperation starts, we will be able to disrupt their command and control, disrupt their training, disrupt their weapon recruitment and also will be able to eliminate or capture their leadership. Without doing that, I think our endeavor to achieve victory will become much more difficult."