WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (AFP) - The arrest of a top al-Qaeda suspect in the United Arab Emirates marks a serious blow to the terror network, offering proof that the White House is pursuing the right approach in its war on terror, a senior US official said Sunday.
"It`s a big moment," Frances Townsend, US President George W. Bush`s homeland security adviser, told the Fox New Sunday program, speaking about the arrest of al-Qaeda agent Qari Saifullah Akhtar.
"What we are seeing now are the dividends based on the president`s counterterrorism policies," she said, who described the breakthrough as "very important."
The capture of Akhtar, who was arrested last week in the United Arab Emirates, is the latest in a series of high-level arrests over the past few weeks, which points to improved cooperation between US counterterror officials and Washington`s international allies in the war on terror, said Townsend.
"This is ... really cause to feel good about relations within the region on counterterrorism issues," Bush`s top antiterror adviser said.
Townsend cited "unprecedented cooperation" between Washington, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as being key in the recent inroads against global terror.
"That`s a long-term investment that`s beginning now to show dividends," she said.
Akhtar, who currently is in Pakistan`s custody, is reported to have trained militants in Afghanistan before the Taliban`s ouster in late 2001.
He also is wanted in connection with two assassination attempts against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf late last year.