CIA’s Panetta estimates under 100 al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan; most hiding in Pakistan

CIA’s Panetta: Few al-Qaida are in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — CIA Director Leon Panetta says there are probably only 50 to 100 al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan, with “no question” that most of the terrorist network is operating from the western tribal region of Pakistan.

That assessment comes as President Barack Obama builds up U.S. forces in Afghanistan to prop up the government and prevent al-Qaida from returning. About U.S. 98,000 troops will be in Afghanistan by fall.

Panetta tells ABCs’ “This Week” that the CIA is heavily focused on killing the al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan. He says Osama bin Laden is hiding amid the region’s rough terrain with “tremendous security around him.”

Panetta is defending CIA drone strikes and says claims they violate international law are “dead wrong.”