US to prod Pakistan to flush out al-Qaeda

Believed hiding in northwestern Pakistan, al-Qaeda chief bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri taunted President George W. Bush last week in their latest taped messages, glorifying the terror network's bloody actions and warning of more to come.

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf, who is facing an increasing litany of tribulations at home, has sent Aziz, among his most trusted lieutenants, to meet with President George W. Bush and other leaders.

Counterrorism is widely expected to hog the agenda, as the back to back release of bin Laden and Zawahiri's recordings has sent a chilling reminder to Americans that the masterminds of the September 11, 2001 attacks remain at large, experts said.

Another additional US concern is the jump in suicide bombings and roadside blasts in Afghanistan, attributed to an influx of foreign militants from the border with Pakistan, said Strategic Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), a private US intelligence firm.

"While Washington continues to get cooperation from Pakistan, it is always concerned about the quality of the cooperation and its longevity, if you will," said Kamran Bokhari, Stratfor's senior analyst for Middle East and South Asia.

Stratfor believes bin Laden and Zawahiri are in northwestern Pakistan.

"To the best of our understanding, our company places them somewhere in northwestern Pakistan, we don't even think they are in the tribal areas.

"How they have survived this long? Definitely, there is evidence to suggest that in certain quarters of the military and security apparatus, there are sympathisers," Bokhari said.