The Central Investigation Agency (CIA) of the US has located bin Laden in the ‘rooftop of the world’, the area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan to the west, in particular the chain of mountains in the province of Nurestan, and China to the north, Arabic television network Al-Arabiya quoted unidentified sources as saying.

The Pakistan government has for long denied that bin Laden is hiding in its territory.

The Dubai-based network reported that US security and military officials had a top-level meeting at a military base in Qatar's capital Doha to plan an operation to hunt for bin Laden a few days ago.

The US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, and US Ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson were reported to have attended the meeting in Doha.

Last week, Petraeus testified before a US Congressional committee about security in Iraq and warned that members of al-Qaeda based in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan were planning a new attack on the US.

According to Al-Arabiya, support for al-Qaeda is broadening among the Afghan Taliban, Pakistani tribes that deny bin Laden's presence in their areas and fundamentalists including the Muslim Brotherhood, which has changed its strategy.