South Dakota ? Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says al-Qaida needs to be eliminated from the country by force, but dealing with the Taliban requires a military, political and socio-economic approach.

Musharraf spoke Friday night at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. He says the Taliban is not a monolith, but rather a spread out organization with no single commander who could be removed for the command structure to be destroyed.

Musharraf is a stalwart supporter of the U.S. in the war on terror. He ended his decade-long rule and resigned as president in August 2008 amid threats of impeachment.