WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday condemned the abduction and murder of a Pakistani journalist. The United States strongly condemns the abduction and killing of reporter Syed Saleem Shahzad, she said in a statement. His work reporting on terrorism and intelligence issues in Pakistan brought to light the troubles extremism poses to Pakistans stability, she said. Clinton said Washington welcomed Pakistans launch of an investigation into the killing. Shahzad, 40, who worked for an Italian news agency and an online news site registered in Hong Kong, went missing on Sunday. His body was found 150 km southeast of Islamabad. Earlier, UN Chief condemned the murder and urged the Pakistani government to work for the protection of journalists in the country. Committee to Protect Journalist, Safma and other human rights bodies have also condemned the murder.