Bin Laden still in Pakistan, says CIA chief

US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta said on Thursday that Osama bin Laden, head of Al Qaeda terrorist network, is still in Pakistan and his capture remains the CIA's priority.

"I guess one of our hopes is that as Pakistani military moves in, combined with our operations, we may have a better chance to get at him," said Panetta at the Capitol Hill.

He noted that Al Qaeda "remains the most serious security threat" to the US and it continues to plot against America.

Panetta said his agency has increased the number of officers and recruited locals in Pakistan to collect more information leading to the capture of bin Laden.

"We have a number of people who are on the ground in Pakistan who are helping us provide targets and who are helping us provide the information that we really need to go after Al Qaeda," he said.

However, the CIA chief did not rule out the possibility that the Al Qaeda leader could look for safe havens elsewhere, such as Yemen and Somalia.