Obama sees Pakistani deaths as tragedy, says spokesman

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama sees the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a NATO raid as a tragedy, the White House said Monday, but argued that crisis-wracked US-Pakistani ties were vital to both sides.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama believed Saturday's attack which threw US-Pakistani ties into turmoil was "a tragedy," adding that "we mourn those brave Pakistani service members that lost their lives."

"We take this matter very seriously," said Carney, adding that two inquiries by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and US Central Command would examine what took place.

"As for our relationship with Pakistan, it continues to be an important cooperative relationship that is also very complicated," Carney said.

"It is very much in America's national security interest to maintain a cooperative relationship with Pakistan because we have shared interests in the fight against terrorism," Carney said.