Ties with Pakistan remained strong and positive, despite country-wide protests over Friday's incident, officials in the Bush administration said.
Avoiding any direct comment on the incident, White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said the US would continue to target terrorist network.
"Pakistan is a valued ally in the war on terrorism. We work closely with Pakistan and others to go after al Qaeda and bring their leaders to justice, and we will continue to do so," Mr McClellan said at a briefing on Monday.
"The President made it very clear that we are going to continue to pursue al Qaeda leaders and bring them to justice. There are a number of them that have been brought to justice, and we will continue to do so," he added.
Hours before his departure for an official visit to the US, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz termed the incident as "deeply regrettable", adding that he would raise the issue during his talks in Washington.
Even as US officials remained tight-lipped over the incident, which occurred along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, they rejected the notion that the US was "indifferent" to the loss of innocent lives in anti-terrorist operations. They maintained that ties with Pakistan since Friday's incident remained positive.
Pak calls US airstrike a failure
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said, "The United States clearly values innocent human life, and that is why we are fighting the war on terror. It is because we are acting against those who would take innocent lives in the name of hatred. And I would just say that acts of terror are not justified by any political cause.
These are individuals that have tried to assassinate President Musharraf twice, that are responsible for the deaths of many Pakistani citizens." However, the spokesperson said the attack and the long-standing policy of refusing to comment on intelligence matters, may have complicated Bush administration's public diplomacy efforts in Pakistan.
At separate press briefings on Tuesday, White House and State Department spokesmen refused to discuss alleged intelligence activities in Pakistan.
Nonetheless, both the officials said US contacts with Pakistan have continued in a positive atmosphere.
Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns will be in Pakistan soon on a scheduled diplomatic mission.
The air raid on Friday in Damadola, a village in the Bajaur tribal area, targeted al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, US intelligence sources said, although Washington has not confirmed it launched the attack.
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