Bin Laden may be in Afghan south, Pakistan says

ISLAMABAD, Tuesday (Reuters) Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his close allies might be hiding in southern Afghanistan, which has seen a sharp rise in militant violence in recent weeks, a Pakistani minister said in remarks published on Tuesday.

The whereabouts of bin Laden, architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, and top militants such as his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, are not known but they are suspected of hiding along the rugged Afghan-Pakistani border.

Although both close U.S. allies, tension has risen between Afghanistan and Pakistan over Afghan and U.S. military accusations that militants launch attacks into Afghanistan from the safety of Pakistan.

Afghan and U.S. officials there also say bin Laden is not in Afghanistan, suggesting he must be in Pakistan. Pakistani officials insist he is not in their country.

Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao again ruled out the possibility that bin Laden was in Pakistan and said the fugitive leader and his allies might be hiding in Afghanistan's restive south.