WASHINGTON, June 19: The US Central Command congratulated Pakistan on Saturday for carrying out a successful operation against Al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in the tribal area.

In a statement released by the CENTCOM headquarters, the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan also congratulated "Pakistan for their success in eliminating former Taliban fighter Nek Mohammed".

The press release notes that Nek Mohammed was killed during an assault on the home of another tribal chief, as part of a "sustained effort Pakistan has been conducting to flush out foreign fighters in their tribal areas".

Meanwhile, speaking with Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Kabul, the commander of Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan, US Army Lt-Gen David Barno said the operation Pakistan is conducting in the tribal area has contributed to "a steady progress" in weeding out remnants of Taliban and Al Qaeda forces.

He said Pakistan has become a key partner in combating terrorism along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, mounting what Gen Barno called "the most robust operations ever" conducted to rid the tribal areas of terrorist threats.

When a senior State Department official was contacted for comments on the rocket attack that killed Nek Mohammed and seven others on Friday, the official said he does not want to talk about individual incidents but said that the United States does "appreciate all the work Pakistan is doing in South Waziristan".