WASHINGTON, May 2: The head of the US armed forces warned on Friday that militants hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan pose a direct threat to the United States and other Western nations.

The Pentagon has sent a report to the US Congress, saying that Pakistan needs three to five years to root out insurgency from the tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban are using the area to regroup and “I believe they are preparing to launch attacks against the US and Western interests,” said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

“All nations must work with Pakistan’s new government to address the challenges in the tribal area,” he told the 102nd annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee in Washington. The audience included French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.Admiral Mullen said the Taliban were on the offensive in Afghanistan, and a stiffening of resistance has taken place, especially in the southern part of the country. The April 27 assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai is just the most recent example of the dangers in the country, he said.Meanwhile, in a report to the US House of Representatives and the Senate, the Pentagon said that Al Qaeda and Taliban militants had built “safe havens” at several places in the tribal zone.

“Deficiencies in the Pakistan army’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency operations are being addressed; however, it will take three to five years before they are realised on the battlefield,” the report said.

The Pakistan army has been trained and equipped to fight India, while the Frontier Corps that is responsible for the tribal areas is under-trained, ill-equipped and “in many cases are outgunned by their militant opponents”, the report said.

The armed forces had “deficiencies in structure, tactics, doctrine and flexibility”, the Pentagon said.