Capturing or killing bin Laden still priority: Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during a nationally televised news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, September 10, 2010.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said Friday that capturing or killing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remains a high priority as the United States marks the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2001.

"Capturing or killing bin Laden and Zawahri would be extremely important to our national security," Obama said, referring to al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri.

"It doesn't solve all our problems but it remains a high priority to this administration," Obama said in response to a question at a news conference covering a range of domestic and international topics.

As the United States has "ramped up the pressure" on al Qaeda, "what's happened is bin Laden has gone deep underground," Obama said.

The consequence, he said, is bin Laden and others "may have been holed up in ways that have made it harder for them to operate."

Obama warned "there is always going to be the potential" for individuals or small groups to carry out strikes against U.S. targets.

Ultimately, the United States will "stamp out" threats from militants, he said, "but it's going to take some time."

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)