The US has said top al-Qaeda leaders hiding in the Af-Pak region continue to be a concern and local authorities have limited willpower and capabilities to act against the terrorist outfit. "There continues to be concern that there are al-Qaeda leaders that are hiding out in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
"Because of our counter-terrorism efforts core al-Qaeda has been decimated, and these counter-terrorism operations have had an impact on al-Qaeda's ability to receive recruits," he said on Thursday. "It had an impact on their command and control capability. It even had an impact on the freedom of movement of some al-Qaeda leaders because they're so intensely focused on their own security now," he added.