June 11 (Bloomberg) -- CIA Director Leon Panetta said al- Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is believed to be in Pakistan and the chances of capturing or killing him have improved as that nation’s military continues its drive against Taliban militants.

“One of our hopes is that, as the Pakistanis move in militarily, combined with our operations, we may be able to have a better chance to get at him,” Panetta told reporters in Washington today.

Taliban militants have been pushed from the northwestern Swat Valley and have regrouped in the craggy tribal areas along the Afghanistan border where al-Qaeda leaders may be holed up.

Finding bin Laden is still “one of our major priorities,” and “last information we had,” bin Laden was in Pakistan, Panetta said.

Panetta made his comments after speaking at a luncheon of the National Italian American Foundation. In his speech, he said U.S. spies will remain in Iraq at present levels even as the uniformed military moves out under President Barack Obama’s withdrawal plans.

“As the U.S. military draws down the intelligence operations will be maintained at their present levels and continue to operate at that level,” Panetta said, indicating that terrorist threats in Iraq continue and the nation is not yet stable.

‘Significant Presence’

“We need to maintain a significant intelligence presence there so that we can make both our military and the Iraqi government and the Iraqi military aware of any terrorist threats that continue to persist against that government,” Panetta said.

“Al-Qaeda remains the most serious security threat facing America, facing our interests, facing our troops, facing our homeland,” he said. “Its leaders, particularly located in Pakistan, continue to plot against us. Its affiliates and followers -- whether they are in Iraq or North Africa or the Arabian peninsular or elsewhere -- continue to threaten us with deadly attacks.”

Panetta said the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. military “are bringing serious pressure” against al-Qaeda, and “there is ample evidence that” these operations are “successfully disrupting their operations.”

Panetta said he worries that success by al-Qaeda in Pakistan would lead it and its sympathizers to find new areas to base their terrorist training and plotting.

“Likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa like Somalia and Yemen,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Timothy J. Burger in Washington at Tburger2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 11, 2009 15:46 EDT