WASHINGTON, July 10: The United States on Tuesday regretted the loss of lives in the Lal Masjid operation but blamed militants for not choosing a peaceful solution.Talking to Dawn, a State Department official also noted that the Pakistani government and security forces showed remarkable restraint since the situation began in January, “providing many opportunities to everyone inside the Red Mosque to resolve the crisis peacefully.”

The official described the operation as Pakistan’s internal security matter, adding that “each government, concerned about the security of its citizens, must make its own decision about when to end negotiations and when to act to end a crisis.”

The armed militants, the US official noted, continued to defy the law and demonstrate an intention to commit acts of violence, and even used children as human shields.

“We regret the further loss of lives, and we commend the bravery of the Pakistani security forces and the innocent victims,” the official said. “It is regrettable that those who continued to resist the government did not choose a peaceful solution.”

The State Department noted that the military operation began, hours after the negotiation delegation failed to persuade the militants to choose a peaceful solution.

Masood Haider adds from United Nations: Expressing concern over the Lal Masjid crisis, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for a peaceful resolution of the problem.Michele Montas, Ban’s spokesperson, said here that the UN Secretary-General stressed that the issue should be “resolved peacefully, with respect for human rights.”

Agencies add: The European Union is ''gravely concerned'' about fighting between government forces and militants in Pakistan because of the possibility it may spill over into Afghanistan, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday, adds AP.

''The EU position is that we are gravely concerned because Pakistan is an important country,'' Solana said after talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

''Also, because the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan is fundamental for peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, where many European countries have deployed troops,'' Solana said.

About 20,000 troops from 32 European countries are in Afghanistan as part of Nato’s 37,000-strong force there. The United States has a further 28,000 soldiers there.

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday condemned the Pakistani army's dawn raid on a pro-Taliban mosque in Islamabad, describing the assault in which at least 58 people were killed as dangerous and unprecedented.

“The movement condemns the killings and violation of the mosque's sanctity,” Salem Falahat, leader of the country's largest opposition grouping, told AFP.

“Pakistan undermined the lives of innocent people, which is dangerous and unprecedented. The government should have given more time to the besieged people inside the mosque.” Falahat accused Pakistan of “trying to win the satisfaction of the United States.“Pakistan should reject external meddling in its affairs under the pretext of fighting terrorism,” he said.