Pakistan, where al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden holed up for years after 9/11, paid tribute to the victims of the attacks on their 10th anniversary Sunday, saying it too was a target of terrorism. "Pakistan joins the people of the United States and of the world in honouring the memory of all those who lost their lives on 11 September, as well as those who have been victims of terrorism around the world," the foreign ministry said.
The cataclysmic events of September 11 dragged the nuclear power into a decade of fighting and violence that the government in Islamabad says has killed 35,000 people. The foreign ministry statement said: "As a country that has been severely affected by terrorism, we reaffirm our national resolve to strengthening international co-operation for the elimination of terrorism.
"It is also appropriate that today the global community renew its commitment to uphold the noble ideals of tolerance, humanity, brotherhood and friendship amongst all peoples and its determination to work for creating a better world."
Pakistan dropped its support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and became a key US ally, but the relationship between the two countries is often strained.
Washington has called Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region the global headquarters of al Qaeda, where Taliban and other al Qaeda-linked networks plot attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.
The bulk of the Taliban and al Qaeda escaped the US invasion of Afghanistan by fleeing into Pakistan. The army says more than 3,000 soldiers have died battling them since.
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