U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the leaders of Pakistan must take action to stop the spread of the Taliban militancy.

Gates said it is important that Pakistani leaders not only recognize the threat, but also take the appropriate action to deal with it.

Sec. of Defense Robert Gates, middle, speaks with Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson (L), and Lt. Col. Thomas Grattan III at Camp Lejeune, 23 Apr 2009Gates spoke to reporters at a Marine base, Camp Lejeune, in the southeastern U.S. state of North Carolina on Thursday, one day after the top U.S. diplomat warned of the threat posed by the situation in Pakistan.

In congressional testimony Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Pakistani government is ceding more and more territory to the Taliban. She said the deteriorating situation in the nuclear-armed state poses what she called a "mortal threat" to the United States and the world.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.