Bagging ‘far buried’ bin Laden in Pak-Afghan border still top US priority: Petraeus

WASHINGTON - Commander of United States-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has said that Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is “far buried” in the remote mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“I don’t think anyone knows where Osama bin Laden is. The fact that it took him four weeks to get a congratulatory message out, or a message of condolence in, say, in the course of the last year or so when we’ve seen these, indicates, literally, how far buried he is probably in the very, very most remote and mountainous regions, The Daily Times quoted Petraeus, as saying.

Despite the difficulty in locating him, Petraeus said that capturing him remains a key task for the Obama administration.

“I think he remains an iconic figure, and I think capturing or killing Osama bin Laden is still a very, very important task for all of those who are engaged in counter terrorism around the world,” Petraeus said.

He further defended the US’ support for flood-hit Pakistan, and praised Islamabad for its efforts to crack down on terrorist sanctuaries.

He said that Pakistan had targeted the Taliban leadership over the past 18 months in the Swat Valley, “but there are areas that they have not dealt with, and North Waziristan is certainly one of those.” (ANI)