PESHAWAR, Nov 30: US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker said on Wednesday the United States didn't know where Osama bin Laden was but expressed confidence that those looking for him would soon find him somewhere 'in a hole'.

"I don't know where he is. If I knew where he was, he would not be there anymore. It's pretty clear we simply do not have that information. Obviously we and Pakistani government and others are pursuing every means and taking every step that we can to track him down.

"That's a pretty rough area. He has been able to hide. He is hiding. Pakistani forces on this side of the border are confident and continue to poke around and look in holes and one of these days, one of us is going to look into the right hole and find the right guy," Mr Crocker said while talking to a group of journalists at the US Consulate in Peshawar.

He said he had no information as to the whereabouts of the world's most wanted man, clearly distancing himself from a report quoting a US official that Osama was hiding in Pakistan's northern district of Chitral. But the US ambassador said that the Al Qaeda leader appeared isolated and hiding in a remote area. "He is more or less isolated out there somewhere in a very remote area, it may take some more time but one of these days, one of us may look into the right hole," the ambassador said.

The US ambassador was all praise for Pakistan for its role in tracking down Al Qaeda and Taliban and said that the Pakistani military had taken a courageous position at a considerable cost to itself to engage militants in tribal areas.

"It has been a hard fight," he said but warned that it could take longer than anticipated to combat terrorism. "It will not be easy, it will not be short. It's not over now and it will not be over tomorrow. But with the resolve and fortitude, I think we can win this (war)," he said.

The US ambassador said that Pakistan had done a great deal not only against Al Qaeda but to disrupt remnants of the Taliban as well. He said that it was increasingly difficult to make distinction on the basis of nationality of a terrorist. "To say that he is a foreigner, an Arab or an Uzbek, he is Al Qaeda and this one because he is Afghan or even Pakistani is Taliban and that's O.K.

"The two have fused together. We have a very determined enemy. It is not just an American problem or an Afghan problem. It is also a Pakistani problem. We all have to resolve that whoever they are, they got to be hunted down and stopped," he said.

The US ambassador also praised Pakistan's role in dismantling what he called Dr A.Q. Khan's network. He said that the action and efforts of Dr Khan clearly posed a major problem to the entire international community and Pakistan.

He said the Pakistani government had been very successful in dismantling the A.Q. Khan network to ensure that it was taken apart and completely put out of the proliferation business.

He said that Islamabad had also made efforts to set in place firm and clear export control guidelines and other regulations to prevent recurrence of such happenings. The US ambassador, however, underlined the need for the full implementation of export control regime.

"The Pakistani government is keenly aware of this. We are looking for ways we can be of assistance. There is still little bit of work needs to be done. The progress thus far has been highly encouraging," he said.