"I don't think anyone knows where Osama bin Laden is," the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan told NBC television's "Meet the Press" when asked about the Al-Qaeda leader's whereabouts.
"The fact that it took him four weeks to get a congratulatory message out or a message of condolence... indicates literally how far buried he is probably in the very, very most remote and mountainous region."
Petraeus appeared to be referring to a January 25 message by Bin Laden congratulating a young Nigerian for a failed attempt to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day.
Despite the difficulty in locating him, Petraeus said Bin Laden "remains an iconic figure and I think capturing or killing (him) is still a very, very important task for all of those who are engaged in counter-terrorism around the world."
Published 15 August 2010, 15:32 IST