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Pakistani called on the United States on Sunday to share information about new al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he believed that Osama bin Laden's successor was in Pakistan.

During his first trip to Kabul on Saturday as Pentagon chief, Panetta said he believed that the new al-Qaida leader was living in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border.

The Pakistani military said its troops were already carrying out "intense operations" against al-Qaida and its affiliates as well as "terrorists leadership" and high value targets (HVTs) who pose a threat to Pakistan's security.

"We expect the US intelligence establishment to share available information and actionable intelligence regarding al-Zawahri and other HVTs with us, enabling the Pakistan Army to carry out targeted operations," a military spokesman said in a statement.

The former CIA chief said the strategic defeat of al-Qaida was within reach if the US could kill or capture up to 20 remaining leaders of the core group and its affiliates.

He said these militant leaders were living in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and in North Africa. Panetta said now was the time - in the wake of bin Laden's killing in Pakistan in May - to intensify efforts to target al-Qaida leadership, adding that the United States would like Pakistan to target al-Zawahri in the tribal areas.

On Sunday, Panetta flew into Helmand Province, where mostly US forces are battling the nearly decade-long Taliban insurgency.

His visit comes as commanders prepare to hand over seven NATO-held areas to Afghan control starting in mid-July, but amid widespread doubt over the ability of Afghan forces to take full responsibility for their own security.

Panetta said on Saturday that the focus of his trip would be the handover to Afghan-led security, acknowledging that there remained "a lot more work to do in terms of being able to transition the responsibility to them".

"The key to success in Afghanistan is the ability to successfully transition to the Afghans," he said after holding high-level talks in the capital Kabul.

（中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.