Washington:
Al Qaeda's "nerve centre" lies in Pakistan even though the recent killings of Osama bin Laden in May and now its number two Atiyah abd al-Rahman has dealt the global terror group a severe blow, a senior US official said today.
"Al Qaeda in Pakistan clearly remains a nerve centre of the organisation. They have suffered significant losses in recent years," Pentagon spokesman, George Little told reporters during an off-camera news conference in Washington.
Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula also remains a considerable concern, Little said in response to a question.
"I think the Secretary (of Defense) has made the key point that keeping up the intense pressure on leadership of Al Qaeda and its militant allies is very important.
"He believes that this is essential to protecting this country. It is essential to eventually defeating and dismantling Al Qaeda," he said.
"The latest death of Atiyah abd al-Rahman, who had grown in prominence inside Al Qaeda in recent years is a significant blow to the group," Little said.