NEW YORK, Nov 15: President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that additional US aid to help Pakistan recover from the earthquake disaster was vital and it could also help Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

In an interview with NBC’s Today show on Tuesday morning, Gen Musharraf asserted: “It will lend more credibility and strength to our decision that we took about backing the United States and being with the United States.”

Asked specifically whether increased aid from the United States would help Pakistan combat terrorism, President Musharraf replied: “Yes, it will.” “The people would understand that joining the coalition, fighting against terrorism, joining, supporting the United States against terrorism, were all correct decisions,” he said.

At the outset of the interview Gen Musharraf told NBC that 5.1 billion dollars in aid would be required, including 3.5 billion for reconstruction.

Asked about Americans’ potential reluctance to help a country where Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding out, Musharraf said: “It’s a failure of intelligence in not being able to identify where this man is. Most of the intelligence ... is directly provided by the United States of America.” “Whose failure is it? Is it Pakistan, or is it the United States, or is it a combined failure? Let’s not put blame on anyone,” he observed.

Referring to about two dozen US military helicopters that have also been ferrying supplies and moving people around the area, Gen Musharraf said these Chinook helicopters have become “a household name and everyone knows that the United States has provided this aid.”