Pakistani officials know where Osama bin Laden hiding: Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, has accused Pakistani government officials of knowing where Osama bin Laden and leaders of the Afghan Taliban are hiding.
Osama bin Laden: Hillary Clinton claims Pakistani officials know where he is hidingPhoto: AFP/Getty Images
Western officials have repeatedly questioned the determination of Pakistan to tackle militants, a problem which has taken on added significance following the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, accused of trying to detonate a bomb in Times Square.
American officials believe his plot was backed by the Pakistan Taliban increasing pressure on the Islamabad government to strike against the armed groups.
Mrs Clinton said: "I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels, but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda is, where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is, and we expect more co-operation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill those who attacked us on 9/11."
Her comments, are the latest sign of difficult relations between the two countries in the wake of the Times Square bomb plot.
Last week a documentary claimed that bin Laden was alive and well and living in Tehran, where he was learning falconry. However, during a visit to the US, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, responded by saying the al-Qaeda leader was in fact hiding in Washington.
American drone aircraft pounded targets in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, an al-Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary.
Pakistani security officials said at least 14 militants were killed.
It was the third missile strike since the failed attempt to explode a car bomb in Times Square last weekend.
The presence of militant havens has become a headache for Pakistan, which at different times has used Islamist groups to further its foreign policy.
Its military and intelligence services helped set up and equip the Afghan Taliban. They also have backed Jihadi groups in Kashmir fighting Indian forces.
Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for the President of Pakistan, dismissed Mrs Clinton's claims.
"If there were officials who knew where bin Laden was, I can assure you that he would not be a free man," he said.
"The fact is that at the moment we don't even know if he's alive or dead."
The government in Islamabad has insisted it is trying to tackle its home-grown militants. Officials point out the Pakistani civilians and military personnel bear the brunt of attacks, with hundreds of deaths each year.
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