WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said Wednesday he was “encouraged” by Pakistan’s anti-extremist efforts, but warned the operation to flush out militants would take time.

“I think what you have seen over the last several months is a growing recognition that they have a cancer in their midst,” Obama said. “I am actually encouraged from what I have seen from the Pakistani government over the last several months.

“But just as it’s going to take some time for Afghanistan’s economy, for example, to fully recover from 30 years of war, it’s going to take some time from Pakistan, even if there is a will, to find a way in order to effectively deal with these extremists in areas that are fairly loosely governed from Islamabad.

“You know, part of what I’ve been encouraged by is Pakistan’s willingness to start asserting more control over some of these areas. But it’s not going to happen overnight,” Obama said. — AFP