United States and Pakistan intelligence experts have agreed to work together to track down Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born militant wanted for the devastating attacks on New York and Washington, Pakistani sources said Thursday.
The accord, which came after three days of talks between a visiting US defense team and their Pakistani counterparts, represents a boost to Washington's efforts to pinpoint where bin Laden is hiding in preparation for an attack aimed at capturing or eliminating him.
The US team was Thursday flying back to Washington to brief defense chiefs on the outcome of their discussions.
The talks are understood to have focused largely on the extent of Pakistan's large intelligence community's knowledge of Afghanistan, the military capabilities of the ruling Taliban and the possible whereabouts of bin Laden.
"The delegation left with a whole range of information on bin Laden, his network and his support bases in Pakistan," a Pakistani intelligence source said.
The US team was also briefed on the situation in Pakistan and the possibility of retaliation by militant groups in the event of a US operation against Afghanistan.
Bin Laden has been based in Afghanistan since 1996 but the Taliban have been claiming since last week that they do not know where he is. This has led to speculation he may already have left the country -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
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