Washington: Driven out of Afghanistan by the US-led international forces, Al Qaeda has found a safe haven in Pakistan, the US Vice President, Dick Cheney has said.

"Al Qaeda, I believe for the most part, has been driven out of Afghanistan. What they have done now is found a safe haven, a refuge... In Pakistan," Cheney told the CNN in an interview telecast today.

While Taliban continues to be focused on Afghanistan and operate back and forth from across the border in Pakistan, they are not as strong as they were once, Cheney said.

"I don't believe that they re any stronger than they were on 9/11,but they re still actively involved," Cheney said, adding considerable progress has been made in Afghanistan, even though there is a long way to go.

When asked about Osama bin Laden, who has still not been captured, Cheney said he would like him to be captured in the remaining days of the Bush Administration.

"My guess is at this point he's operating in an area that s very difficult, very hard to get to; that he s not an effective leader at this stage, he can't really engage with his organization without coming out of whatever hole he's hiding in. And the key thing for us, even if we got bin Laden tomorrow, is to take down his organisation. And that's what we ve been actively doing," Cheney said.

"I did like very much to get Osama bin Laden. I am sure the hunt will go on after we leave," he said.
Source : PTI