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Zardari told a television audience Friday in Islamabad the stakes are high for all countries in Pakistan's struggle against the Islamic militants, and that it needs a sustained commitment from the international community to be successful, Pakistan's English-language newspaper Dawn reported.

"World powers must help Pakistan at this critical time in the war against terrorism", Zardari said. "Complacency at this stage would waste an opportunity of defeating extremism, which breeds terrorism."

Pakistan, he said, is a bulwark against on onslaught of global terrorism for which "our nation has paid a high cost in terms of human sufferings and economic losses for the sake of national and global peace and security."

As Zardari made the comments, 17 militants and three government security personnel were killed in fighting in various areas of Swat, with 10 Pakistani soldiers sustaining injuries, Dawn reported. An official statement said troops are strengthening their control over the valley, wresting control of four towns in the Shangla region from the Taliban.

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