Afghan officials say Pakistan should have known bin Laden was there

By Hamid Shalizi

KABUL, May 4 (Reuters) - Pakistan's spy agency should have known Osama bin Laden was hiding not far from its capital, Afghan officials said on Wednesday, the first direct comments from Kabul about its neighbour's apparent inability to track the al Qaeda leader.

The case also raised questions about Pakistan's ability to protect its nuclear weapons adequately, said Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Zaher Azimy.

Bin Laden, the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, was killed by a U.S. strike team in a military garrison town about 60 km (35 miles) north of Islamabad on Monday.