ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - US Senator John Kerry will travel to Pakistan in coming days to put relations "on the right track" after the killing of Osama bin Laden in a surprise Navy SEALs raid, but he is likely to face fury from the army over what it sees as a breach of trust.

Kerry, a Democrat who is close to the Obama administration, said he expected to see "all the main players" in Pakistan to discuss strains in bilateral ties following the May 2 operation that killed the al-Qaida leader in his Pakistani hideout.

"A number of people suggested it would be good to get a dialogue going about the aftermath and how we get on the right track," Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters in Washington.

Co-author of a 2009 bill that tripled non-military aid to Islamabad, Kerry is seen as a friend of the country, but he is likely to face the wrath of the powerful security establishment which has been embarrassed by the unilateral US action on Pakistani soil.

A senior Pakistani security official said the operation had left the army and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency - which has a long history of contacts with militants -"discredited in the eyes of the public".

"We are very angry about this breach of trust," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The space for cooperating with the Americans on military and intelligence operations has been shrunk because of this incident."

Pakistani cooperation is crucial for Washington's efforts to combat Islamist militants and bring stability to Afghanistan, and the US administration appears keen to contain the fallout.

Triumphant Obama

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama brought up the killing of bin Laden at a fundraiser in Texas on Tuesday, but treaded carefully by crediting troops and intelligence officers for catching the al-Qaida leader.

"We're taking the fight to al-Qaida," the president said at the first of two events expected to raise about $2 million for the Obama Victory Fund.

"Because of the extraordinary bravery of the men and women who wear this nation's uniform and the outstanding work of our intelligence agencies, Osama bin Laden will never again threaten the United States," he said to cheers from the audience of about 750 people at a downtown Austin theater.

The White House has tried since Obama announced bin Laden's death last week not to appear too triumphant about the killing.

Some critics have charged that Obama has taken too much credit for the shooting of the world's most wanted man.

A Democratic Party official had suggested Obama would not even bring up bin Laden in his fundraising remarks, although that seemed unlikely given the enormity of the event and the public's huge interest in the story.

"Thank you for getting bin Laden," a member of the audience shouted to Obama before he mentioned the al-Qaida leader.

Obama replied with a line he has used as part of his case for White House re-election: "It should inspire us to finish what we started."

Many Americans were relieved at the death of the mastermind of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

Reuters