WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta while giving an interview to a US television channel on Saturday said that the United States(US) is fighting its own war in the tribal areas of the Pak-Afghan border region and that military safe havens in Pakistan would not be tolerated, DawnNews reported.

During the interview, the US defence secretary without specifying any further said that the US would take every possible step to protect its troops.

While reiterating the stance against military safe havens in Pakistan’s tribal areas, he said that the US would continue to pressurise Pakistan to act effectively against the Haqqani network.

He warned that incidents of militants’ cross-border movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan resulting in attacks that kill US troops stationed in Afghanistan would not be tolerated in any case.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson while rejecting Panetta’s remarks said that certain complicated matters were being viewed lightly by the US and that the Nato supply route through Pakistan would not be restored without a US apology.