WASHINGTON - US and Pakistan defense officials agreed here that the US side should continue military aid to Pakistan in the wake of outcry for discontinuing the billions of dollars in aid Washington gives to Pakistan after the death of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden, a statement said Tuesday.

During their defense policy discussions in Washington, the two sides reviewed achievements in the field of defense collaboration, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.

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Both delegations concluded that the accomplishments of the Exchanges on Defense Planning process and the announcement of a US multi-year security assistance commitment to Pakistan were significant milestones over the past year.

They stressed the significance of continuing these important efforts toward identifying and meeting Pakistan's resourcing requirements.

The US Congress has approved about 20 billion dollars for Pakistan in direct aid and military reimbursements partly to help Islamabad fight militancy since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. But US military assistance to Pakistan was under intense scrutiny as it emerged bin Laden had been hiding in plain sight in Pakistan for years.

Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta said Tuesday the United States had doubts that Pakistan could undermine the raid against bin Laden, and kept the ally in the dark deliberately.

Led by Syed Athar Ali, Pakistan's Secretary of Defense, and Michele Flournoy, the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the two sides acknowledged that the recent counterterrorism operation resulting in the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden underscores the importance of cooperation in the two countries' efforts to defeat terrorism.

Both sides affirmed their mutual commitment to their strong defense relations, which they stressed should continue to serve as the foundation of the broader strategic partnership, said the statement.

The officials talked from Monday to Tuesday in the framework of the 20th meeting of the US-Pakistan Defense Consultative Group (DCG). The DCG is the primary forum for exchanging views and coordinating defense policy discussions between the United States and Pakistan. The last DCG meeting was held in August 2010 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.