Petraeus says nabbing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden remains primary goal of Afghanistan war

Petraeus: Capturing bin Laden still a primary goal

WASHINGTON — Army Gen. David Petraeus (peh-TRAY’-uhs) says capturing or killing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden (oh-SAH’-muh bin LAH’-din) remains a primary goal of U.S. forces.

The top U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” that bin Laden is an “iconic figure” and his arrest remains a “very important task for all of those who are engaged in counterterrorism around the world.”

Petraeus says bin Laden probably is in an extremely remote mountainous area of Pakistan.