WASHINGTON, July 5: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned American politicians not to talk about launching strikes into Pakistan because it’s a key ally in the war against terror.

“One has to be a little careful about what you say about the territory of a sovereign state with which you are not at war,” said Ms Rice while commenting on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s suggestions that US and Nato troops can enter Fata while pursuing militants fleeing Afghanistan.

In an interview to Bloomberg Television, Ms Rice acknowledged that the situation in tribal areas often leads to “policy debates” within the Bush administration on how to confront Al Qaeda. “Yes, it has certain strengths and continues to have certain strengths in this area that is very difficult for anyone to govern and very difficult for anyone to operate in. But there have been successes there too,” she said.

But Ms Rice said the US should continue to work with Pakistan to root out terrorism, instead of threatening it with unilateral actions.

“The United States is acting with Pakistan to deal with the terrorism threat,” she said. “We have done this in working with the Pakistanis and working together to share intelligence and working together to deal with threats when they emerge.”Ms Rice said that it’s not just Pakistan that needs to do more to fight the militants. “Do we need to do more? Absolutely. Everybody needs to do more. But I would be very careful with what I say about the territory of a sovereign state.”