The CIA's director warns that the lawless border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan has allowed Al Qaeda to establish a safe haven representing a "clear and present danger" to the West.
Michael Hayden said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the U.S. has an interest in the area because intelligence agencies believe Osama bin Laden is hiding there.
If another terrorist attack struck America, it would almost certainly originate from that area, he argued.
"It's very clear to us that Al Qaeda has been able for the past 18 months or so to establish a safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistan border area that they have not enjoyed before, and that they're bringing in operatives into the region for training," he said.
He also said that the terrorist group is actively bringing operatives into the area for training that "wouldn't attract your attention if they were going through the customs line at Dulles (Washington, D.C.'s major airport) with you."
Washington has looked to Pakistan's new coalition government for reassurance that the country will continue to pressure extremist groups using the northwest border region with Afghanistan.
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani pledged over the weekend to make the fight against terrorism his top priority. But he also said that peace talks and aid programs could be more effective than weapons in fighting militancy in the tribal areas along the Afghan border.
The comment is seen as a criticism of President Pervez Musharraf's military tactics in the region. Many blame those actions for the spike in domestic terror attacks.
Hayden declined to comment on reports that the U.S. is increasing unilateral attacks against Al Qaeda members in Pakistan's tribal areas out of concern that pro-Western Musharraf's influence is weakening.
"The situation on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border presents clear and present danger to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the West in general and United States in particular," he said. "Operationally, we are turning every effort to capture or kill that leadership from the top to the bottom."
With files from The Associated Press
