WASHINGTON — The United States needs to support the Pakistani government and cooperate with it as allies in battling Afghan rebels and Taliban forces, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said Thursday after returning from a trip to the country.

“The next six to nine months are going to be critical for the future of Pakistan,” said Rep. Wamp, who was part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that met Monday with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

“We have to recognize that while Musharraf, like many other leaders, has his warts, right now it’s important that we try to maintain the stability,” Rep. Wamp said.

The United States has had an uneasy relationship with President Musharraf, who took power in 1999 in a military coup and at times has been heavy-handed in his leadership, but the two countries have agreed to work together in fighting Islamic terrorists and extremists in the region.

Prime Minister Gillani, elected in March, is from a political party formerly headed by the late Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated last year, and is opposed to President Musharraf’s administration.

U.S. officials have voiced their concern over the ability of Pakistan’s coalition government to unify and effectively battle Taliban forces.

The five-member congressional delegation, led by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said it had “candid discussions” with both Pakistani leaders about the importance of combating terrorism both within the country and along the Afghan border.

The visit came as Pakistan launched an offensive over the weekend against militants in the Peshawar region, which borders Afghanistan and is the site of the main U.S. supply line into Afghanistan.

The lawmakers “were encouraged by the unity among Pakistani leaders to confront terrorists,” Sen. Cardin said in a statement.

Rep. Wamp called the coalition government “fragile” and said it would be a “mistake” for the United States to disrupt any of Pakistan’s government operations.

“It’s important for us to support and help them get through this transition,” he said. “We were reassuring them that the United States stood behind their efforts to secure their country.”