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CIA's Panetta: Few Al-Qaida Are in Afghanistan

Sunday, 27 June 2010 10:26 AM EDT

CIA Director Leon Panetta says there are probably only 50 to 100 al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan, with "no question" that most of the terrorist network is operating from the western tribal region of Pakistan.

That assessment comes as President Barack Obama builds up U.S. forces in Afghanistan to prop up the government and prevent al-Qaida from returning. About U.S. 98,000 troops will be in Afghanistan by fall.

Panetta tells ABCs' "This Week" that the CIA is heavily focused on killing the al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan. He says Osama bin Laden is hiding amid the region's rough terrain with "tremendous security around him."

Panetta is defending CIA drone strikes and says claims they violate international law are "dead wrong."

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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CIA Director Leon Panetta says there are probably only 50 to 100 al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan, with "no question" that most of the terrorist network is operating from the western tribal region of Pakistan.That assessment comes as President Barack Obama builds up U.S....
US,US,Afghanistan
118
2010-26-27
Sunday, 27 June 2010 10:26 AM
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