US lauds Turkish efforts

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military said it has test-fired a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. The test comes after U.S. accusations that Pakistan has been allowing militant Islamists to fire on American

troops across the Afghan border.

Clinton will take part in Wednesday’s meeting in Istanbul, which will look ahead at Afghanistan’s future as U.S. combat troops prepare to leave at the end of 2014.

“Turkey has a great deal of credibility with a number of the countries, and therefore its involvement is a very helpful assistance to us,” Clinton told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also plan to attend the Istanbul conference. Clinton visited both Islamabad and Kabul last week. The State Department said that Clinton would also visit London on Tuesday to deliver an address to a conference on cyberspace led by the British government.