US wants Pakistan to conduct thorough probe into Pathankot attack

"We certainly look forward to and expect a thorough, complete, fair and transparent investigative process. We are going to have to let it work through," State Department spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday.

"We look forward to seeing the results of their investigation. We would all like them to be done as quickly as possible and transparently discussed when it's complete. But this is for the government of Pakistan to sort out how long this investigation is going to take," Kirby said.

"They (Pakistan) said they're going to investigate it.

They said they're not going to discriminate between terrorist groups when they conduct counter-terrorism operations," the official said.

He acknowledged that the US has reached out to Pakistan after the Pathankot terror attack.

"It's more important to us, as it is in our own investigative issues here in the United States, that it be a good, solid, thoughtful and comprehensive investigation, not that it be done by a certain timeline," he said.

Six terrorists, who had sneaked into the country from Indo-Pak border in Pakistan, had attacked Indian Air Force base in Pathankot during the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

All the terrorist were killed during a counter-operation by Indian forces that lasted for about three days in which seven security personnel were killed.

The US said it encourages an "aggressive" approach to counter-terrorism operations by Pakistan and other regional powers, Kirby said, and expressed willingness to support such operations as required or deemed fit by those nations.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has said communication between India and Pakistan is a "hopeful sign" that the two countries will be able to resolve their concerns bilaterally despite the terror attack in Pathankot.

"The communication (between India and Pakistan) is a hopeful sign that they will be able to address these concerns, but I'll leave it to the governments of Pakistan and India to respond to this particular situation," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said while responding to questions about the cross-border terror attack.

"This is a situation between India and Pakistan, and we encourage their continued communication and efforts to address these issues," he said yesterday.

Cook also said the US has a very good defence and military-to-military relationship with India. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had hosted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Pentagon last month.