The US administration said Tuesday it was making "progress" in obtaining more information from Pakistan on Osama bin Laden, a week after the al Qaeda leader's death. "We continue to work with Pakistan to make sure we have access to any information that could contribute to our common goal, which is continue our counterterrorism co-operation," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.
"We believe we're making progress and we're optimistic that we'll be able to work through any obstacles and increase our information sharing." He declined to comment on three widows of bin Laden apprehended during the commando raid that killed him after a US official said Pakistan is expected to let the United States question them.
But he did indicate that "we're making progress on not just this issue but on a range of issues in terms of information sharing." With the pivotal US-Pakistan relationship under severe strain, the White House had called on Islamabad to help counter growing mistrust by granting American investigators access to the women. But Pakistan said that it had received no formal request for access to the women, as further details emerged of the backdrop to the dramatic May 2 assault in which the al Qaeda kingpin was shot dead by US forces.