WASHINGTON: The United States believes that at least a dozen senior leaders of al Qaeda are in Pakistan, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said on Monday.

“Of the 20 senior leaders in al Qaeda, at least a dozen of them we believe to be traveling around Pakistan someplace,” he told reporters.

“It is incredibly important for us that we maintain a relationship (with Pakistan) so that we can pursue those targets that we know are posing a threat to the United States,” he said.