WASHINGTON, March 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. military forces in Afghanistan may cross the border into neighboring Pakistan to capture or kill al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters, The New York Times said Thursday quoting a top U.S. general. 

Missions across the border would be carried out with the approval of Pakistani leaders and would focus on thwarting the enemy's moves, General Franklin Hagenbeck of the 10th Mountain Division told the daily in an interview. 

Hagenback said that U.S. forces were attacked near Khost, close to the Afghan border with Pakistan. However, it was not clear whether the Americans were caught in fighting between Afghan factions or had come under attack from Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters. 

U.S. military leaders believe the Taliban and al-Qaeda have sanctuaries in Pakistan, where the Pakistani government has deployed troops to seal the border. 

But Hagenbeck suggested to the Times that sealing the border was not the Pakistani government's highest priority. "I think Pakistan is more focused on tensions with India," he said. 

Chasing al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters into Pakistan, he said, would not be a priority. 

"Hot pursuit would probably be my last resort," Hagenbeck said. 

"What we would try to do is anticipate any type of operations that would cause the enemy to go into Pakistan, and we would try to coordinate with the Pakistan government, and our ambassador in Pakistan, before we did any of those kinds of operations," he said. 

An unidentified senior Pakistani official said General Tommy Franks, Commander of U.S. forces in the region, asked Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf this week to take part in joint military actions to capture al-Qaeda and Taliban forces moving back and forth across the border. 

Musharraf made no decision on Frank's request, the Pakistani official added. 

The call to pursue Taliban and al-Qaeda elements into Pakistan comes as CIA Director George M. Tenet, in testimony to the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said he needed "a lot more help" from countries where al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters may have fled. 

"There's still many, many points of exit that people in small numbers can get out," Mr. Tenet said. 

The Times commented, however, that any decision by U.S. forces to go into Pakistan would be “politically explosive” as Pakistan’s decision to side with the U.S. at the beginning of the campaign has already produced opposition.