WASHINGTON, Sept 5: The United States is looking for ways to improve the current arrangement with Pakistan for fighting terrorists along the Afghan border, said a State Department official while responding to questions on a US commando raid earlier this week that seems to have strained Washington’s relations with Islamabad.

The department’s deputy spokesman Robert Wood, who has worked at the US Embassy in Islamabad, also conceded that the situation on both sides of the Afghan border was neither “perfect” nor “easy”.

Mr Wood spoke of the need for improving cooperation with Pakistan when asked if the United States would seek a new arrangement with Islamabad to formalise cross-border raids on suspected terrorist targets in Fata.

“Well, I’m not going to talk about what we may or may not do in terms of our cooperation with the government of Pakistan. But we will look for ways that we can both work very closely and work better in terms of fighting these extremist elements,” he said.

“Things are not perfect in terms of our efforts to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda,” he said, but both the US and Pakistan “continue to work hard and look for ways to improve our efforts, and that’s ongoing”.

Replying to another question, he said: “It’s not an easy situation. The government of Pakistan takes the threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda very seriously, as we do.”

Mr Wood also emphasised that the militants were not operating in Pakistan alone but were active inside Afghanistan as well.

“We’re looking for ways that we can improve (and) enhance our cooperation (with Pakistan) in defeating these extremist elements that are operating not only in Pakistan, but across the border in Afghanistan,” he said.

A US commando raid into South Waziristan on Wednesday killed dozens of people and caused a strong reaction from Islamabad.

Identical resolutions in the upper and lower houses of parliament on Thursday said the attack was a gross violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“I just wondered whether the condemnation by parliament raised this to a different level from your vantage point?” asked a journalist.

“I don’t have anything else to add to that,” said Mr Wood who had said earlier that he did not wish to comment on issues related to the raid.

Mr Wood, however, did not agree with the suggestion that the raid had strained US relations with Pakistan, which is a key ally in the US-led war against terrorism.

“Our relationship … it’s a very good one,” he said. “It’s complex, like a lot of our relationships with governments around the world. But it’s a good one and we both have, obviously, important interests, interests that coincide with regard to fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda.”

The State Department official also refused to disclose what message Ambassador Anne Patterson received when she was called to the Pakistan Foreign Office on Wednesday, hours after the Angoor Adda raid.

“We refer you to the Pakistani government. And we have continuing contacts with the government of Pakistan through our embassy in Islamabad,” he said.

Asked if the ambassador had apologised for the loss of lives in the raid, Mr Wood said: “I don’t have anything more” on that.

Another journalist asked Mr Wood if the US was worried about a blowback against the Pakistani government for US military operations inside Pakistan.

“I have nothing for you on that (either),” he said. “But let me just say, as our overall policy toward Pakistan in terms of the war on terror, we cooperate very closely with Pakistan in fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda elements that are operating not only in Pakistan, but across the border in Afghanistan.”

Another journalist reminded the State Department official that the Angoor Adda raid was not a solitary incident. There has been a series of such attacks.

“Is this not causing great embarrassment to the State Department and your relationship with the Pakistani government?” he asked.

“I would just reiterate that our relationship with the government of Pakistan is a strong one,” he said. “Pakistan is an important ally of the United States in the war on terror. We will continue to work with Pakistan.”