Pakistan's military has been intensifying its fight against the Taliban even as the U.S. has continued its use of unmanned drones to fire dozens of missiles against insurgents.

Ambassador Husain Haqqani said that his country maintains that action on its side of the border with Afghanistan should be taken with Pakistani participation and that the U.S. should provide the country with its own drones.

An August missile strike killed Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, the latest of several top al-Qaida and Taliban commanders killed in similar attacks.

"We are concerned about the impact that unilateral U.S. strikes can sometimes have, the effect on public opinion. That is our official position," Haqqani said. "But we are not going to express any regret that Mr. Mehsud was eliminated as a result of the strike."

He did not directly answer a question over whether Pakistan is quietly cooperating with the U.S. on military strikes as some observers have speculated.

Haqqani was in Denver for a question-and-answer session hosted by the counterterrorism institute The CELL. The discussion on the global fight on terrorism came on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks - which put Pakistan in the forefront of the global anti-terror fight.

Haqqani said al-Qaida has lost some support in the Muslim world, and counterterrorism forces are learning of more planned attacks before they are executed. Still, terrorist recruitment needs to fall further, and countries with weak governance need to be strengthened so that they cannot be havens for al-Qaida, he said.

Haqqani also spoke of the need for education and humanitarian aid in Pakistan.

Congress is considering a bill to provide up to $1.5 billion per year for five years in humanitarian and economic aid to Pakistan, with the idea that a literate society with health care, infrastructure and more stable economy would lessen the appeal of extremism.

"Give us the fishing rod so we can fish for ourselves," Haqqani said.