Pakistan’s capture of a senior al Qaeda figure is an “encouraging” sign that Islamabad is ready to bolster its cooperation with US counter-terrorism efforts, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday. “I think it’s a tribute to the Pakistanis who worked with us in this effort,” Panetta told reporters in a visit to New York City to honour the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
The former CIA director spoke after the Pakistan Army announced it had detained al Qaeda senior leader Younis al-Mauritani in Quetta along with two other high-ranking operatives after US and Pakistani spy agencies joined forces. Although there had been “similar operations in the past”, Mauritani was seen as a powerful figure who was plotting attacks on the US, Panetta said.
