US President George W. Bush praised Pakistan's fight against terrorism but turned down an appeal for the same civilian nuclear deal the United States intends to give India, as he wrapped up his first visit to the South Asian nation.

Bush came to Pakistan for talks on Saturday despite security concerns to bolster President General Pervez Musharraf, who straddles a delicate political divide in this country.

As Bush visited the capital, fighting between pro-Taliban tribesmen and the Pakistan army in two towns near the Afghan border killed at least 46 militants and three soldiers, an army spokesman said. Thousands of people have also been protesting Bush's visit in this Muslim nation, where anti-American sentiment has risen since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After more than an hour of talks with Musharraf in Islamabad, Bush told a news conference that the Pakistani president had made a bold decision by backing the war on terror. Pakistan once supported Afghanistan's former repressive Taliban regime.

"The American people appreciate your leadership, Mr President, and so do I," Bush said.

"We will win this fight together," he said. "While we do have a lot of work to be done, it's important that we stay on the hunt."

He praised Pakistan's commitment to tackling militancy. Law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 700 suspected militants in the past four years.

At a state dinner before departing for Washington later Saturday, Bush saluted Musharraf, calling him a "strong leader."

Bush left the country late Saturday in much the same way he arrived after dark aboard Air Force One.

He was upbeat about the South Asian tour, saying his stops in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan had enhanced US security.

Bush's trip in Pakistan followed a three-day visit to India where he sealed a civilian nuclear deal. Pakistan has asked for the same deal, but Bush made it clear that was unlikely, talking of the rival nations' "different needs and different histories."

But he expressed no objections to plans by India and Pakistan to build a pipeline to bring much-needed natural gas supplies from Iran, a project that Washington has disapproved of in the past.

Source: China Daily