Prove your commitment,show concrete actions: US tells Pak

8220;We8217;re going to look for concrete actions and concrete signs from the Pakistanis that theyre also committed to this,8221; State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters here.

At the same time,Toner said it is also important that US-Pak counterterrorism cooperation that8217;s been going on since 9/11 has borne fruit and has led to some successes.

8220;It has put increased pressure on al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups operating within Pakistan. Terrorism is an existential threat for Pakistan,8221; he said,adding thousands of Pakistanis have been killed both by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

8220;So we believe it8217;s important that this kind of cooperation continue,8221; he added.

Toner said the United States has asked a number of questions to Pakistan with regard to the hideout of Osama bin Laden,the al Qaeda leader,in an affluent suburb of Islamabad.

8220;Certainly,we8217;ve raised these issues with them. The Pakistanis have said they have the same concerns,and they8217;re looking into it. It8217;s hard for me to say. These kinds of investigations can take some time,8221; he said.

The US is looking for the Pakistanis to address what the Administration believes are legitimate concerns raised by it and the Congress.

8220;They recognise that well look to them to provide answers to those questions,8221; he said.

Defending the US decision not to inform Pakistan about it,Toner,said the operation to kill,Osama bin Laden was carried out under a level of operational security that was incredibly stringent,even within the Administration.

8220;And so it was done 8212; there was actionable intelligence,the mission was carried out,it was successful,8221; he said.

8220;We8217;ve said that we believe that this was a man who has not only,had killed thousands around the world and Americans,but also posed an imminent threat of future attacks on American citizens,and having actionable intelligence against him,we carried out an operation,and we believe that8217;s within our right to do so,8221; Toner said.

8220;What we8217;ve tried to make clear is that we believe counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan is in our clear interest as a nation,and it8217;s in Pakistan8217;s interest,and we8217;re committed to working with Pakistan moving forward,8221; he said.

8220;We carried out an operation that has brought him to justice,8221; he said when referred to two UN human rights experts who are asking the US to present supporting facts that it did or did not adhere to international standards with regards to human rights.

8220;I8217;m not going to get into a legal discussion from the podium,but we8217;ve talked about these operations in the past and the legal justification for them. This was an individual who posed a threat,an imminent threat to American lives and indeed,to the lives of innocent civilians in Europe and Asia and elsewhere around the globe,and Africa certainly,8221; he argued.