ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s war against Islamic extremists will go on until the country is “terrorism-free,” a senior official said today after mounting violence prompted the United Nations to raise its security stance.

Pakistan is under intense pressure from the United States to combat militants responsible for rising attacks at home and in neighboring Afghanistan.

Its faltering efforts have been met with a blur of suicide bombings that have killed nearly 1,200 people since July 2007, according to Pakistan army statistics.

In remarks broadcasted today, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said the government was undaunted.

Previous Pakistani military campaigns against Islamic militants in the wild tribal belt along the Afghan frontier were halted too soon, he said — an apparent reference to the policies of former President Pervez Musharraf.