Washington, Nov.15 US Central Command chief General David Petraeus has said that while the Pakistan Army has gained substantial success against the Taliban in South Waziristan, it should make serious efforts to hold onto the captured territories.

"Pakistan should put the cleared territories under a senior Corps Commander for post-conflict vigilance and rebuilding to ensure that these areas don't slide back to become terrorist havens," General Petraeus told Bloomberg news.

Commenting on the sudden rise in terror activities across Pakistan, he said the armed forces should keep their focus on the campaign against the extremists and keep making in-roads into their stronghold.

"When you go into the enemy's safe havens and sanctuaries, they come after you; and they try to open up new areas. It's always been the case," General Petraeus said.

He pointed out that Pakistan has now realised that extremists inside its geographical boundary poses an existential threat to the country and not India.

"The Pakistani military campaign in Waziristan, Swat and other rescue areas close to the Afghan frontier indicated that Islamabad had now come to realise that the existential threat to the country that is most pressing, at the very least, is the internal extremists, not necessarily India," the top US General said. (ANI)