Washington, Aug 6 (IANS): US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said the death of Osama bin Laden does not mean Al Qaeda was finished, and that it was important for America to keep pressure on the terrorist group to ensure national security.
"(The death of bin Laden) doesn't mean that they're gone. They're still around, and there are elements of Al Qaeda that are still out there whose main purpose is to attack our homeland," Xinhua quoted Panetta as saying during a visit to the US Strategic Command headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
The defence secretary emphasised keeping pressure on the terrorist network no matter where they hide.
"We've got to continue to put pressure on them in Pakistan. The biggest concerns we have now are the nodes where they're located in places like Yemen, Somalia, North Africa," he said.