Washington: The United States believes al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan and the terrorist group is using the country as a safe haven.
“Osama bin Laden is present in Pakistan. The command system of the Taliban is based in Quetta and they are launching their activities from the suburbs of the city,” said a statement issued by the deputy chief of the US embassy in Islamabad.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is visiting Washington, denied that the al-Qaeda leadership is in his country.
PTI reports Qureshi claimed Pakistan had severely damaged the al-Qaeda by either eliminating or capturing the second and third tier of its leadership.
"To a great extent, (we have) broken the back of the militants, the Swat operation, the Malakhan operation has broken the back. The second tier, the third tier of leadership has been eliminated or arrested," Qureshi told CNN in an interview.
Qureshi argued that the militants were running away from Pakistan. "And they are not necessarily running into Afghanistan. There could be other destinations they are looking for. Perhaps to Somalia," he said.
Qureshi said his government is seeking a long-term commitment from the United States and during his meeting with top American leaders, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he got a positive feeling in this regard.
"What we are looking for is a long-term commitment to the region and Pakistan," he said.
Qureshi said Pakistanis would not accept US troops in their country for operations against terrorists. "No, we don't need that (US troops in Pakistan) because we are capable of doing it ourselves," he said. "It (US troops) will not be accepted by the people of Pakistan," he said.
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