WASHINGTON, Jan 3: US President George W. Bush said on Thursday that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination had “all the hallmarks” of how Al Qaeda operated.

He, however, withheld judgment until the facts were determined.

The remarks made in an interview to a western news agency, however, strengthen the government’s claim that no Pakistani intelligence agency was involved in the attack.

“It’s in the interest of the world to help Pakistan recover from this terrible incident and have a strong democracy, that’s exactly what the position of the US government is,” he said.

Mr Bush also made it obvious that his administration still considers President Pervez Musharraf a strong ally in the war against terror and wants to continue to work with him.

“I’ve always been a supporter of President Musharraf,” he said, adding this was because the Pakistani leader had been strong in fighting terrorism and held to his pledge to step down from his military post and hold elections.

“He’s an ally.”

Mr Bush, however, urged President Musharraf to work with whoever wins the elections scheduled next month.

“I think that whoever wins the election is somebody with whom President Musharraf should work, and of course we will be a strong ally of Pakistan,” he said.

Earlier at a briefing at the White House, his National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said that President Bush would discuss the situation in Pakistan with leaders in the Middle East when he visits the region next week.

At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said the US “fully supports” President Musharraf’s decision to involve Scotland Yard in the investigation.