Prime Minister Julia Gillard is certain that Islamabad authorities are collaborators in the war on terror despite the announcement that Osama bin Laden had a support network in Pakistan which was hiding the most wanted terrorist.

This is after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade cautioned Australians in Pakistan about a "very high threat of terrorist attack" succeeding the murder of the al-Qaeda leader in a surgical assault by United States forces on a mansion in the Pakistan city of Abbottabad.

Gillard was confronted with a flood of questions on whether Pakistan aided bin Laden's decade-long evasion of authorities, a day after US President Barack Obama announced bin Laden’s death.

In an interview with ABC TV, Gillard said, "Clearly to be able to be there he must have had some support mechanisms.”
But she quoted that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked that Pakistan officials helped lead US forces to bin Laden as the nation itself remained a vital supporter in tackling terrorism.

"We think it is very important to keep working with Pakistan on counter-terrorism. We have a memorandum of understanding to drive that co-operation," Gillard told reporters in Canberra.

Gillard furthered, “We do need to recall that of the people who have suffered from the despicable violence led by Osama bin Laden or inspired by him, the people of Pakistan have very greatly suffered."

The leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda is now dead leaving a network of terrorists that may be posing hazards in revenge of bin Laden’s death.

"It would be a very grave error to think that because Osama bin Laden is dead that somehow the terrorism network that al-Qaeda represents is finished," she said.

In Washington, Ms Clinton met with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to express her sincerest gratitude to Australia's cooperation in terrorism talks and involvement in Afghanistan.

"It's equally critical that we remain vigilant against future terrorist attacks," Rudd said as he warns Australian overseas to take extra precautions against any reprisal.

Gillard underscored that bin Laden's death shows "persistence does pay" and Australia will continue its mission in Afghanistan which had been a "safe haven for terrorism".

"The retaliation can easily occur in a capital city in the United States or Europe as it can occur in Afghanistan," Defense Minister Stephen Smith told ABC Radio on Tuesday in disbelief that bin Laden’s death would put Australian troops in Afghanistan to greater risks.