Democratic US presidential candidate Barack Obama warned that as president, he would order forces to strike al-Qaeda inside Pakistan if President Pervez Musharraf failed to act.
Mr Obama's remarks, which prompted the Pakistani government to caution presidential candidates against 'point-scoring' on crucial security issues, came in a bold speech laying out his anti-terrorism strategy.
Days after his chief Democratic rival Hillary Clinton branded him 'naïve' and 'irresponsible' on foreign policy, the Illinois senator also accused President George W Bush of botching the war on terror.
'If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will,' Mr Obama said, referring to reports that al-Qaeda had regrouped in Pakistani tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
The Bush administration last week attempted to smooth a row with Islamabad over threats to act against al-Qaeda in Pakistan's territory, saying it had full respect for its sovereignty, though reserving the right to act.
Mr Obama's speech was seen as a bid to bolster his foreign policy credentials, boost his campaign as a new national poll showed him well behind Ms Clinton, and to counter claims he is too inexperienced to be president.
