President Barack Obama says Osama bin Laden has gone "deep underground" because of U.S. pressure on al-Qaida. He says the best intelligence officers and special forces are working night and day to capture him.

Obama says it remains a high priority to capture or kill the al-Qaida leader who was the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. He says getting bin Laden would be extremely important to the country's national security _ though it wouldn't solve all the problems.

Obama says that al-Qaida is "holed up" in a way that's made it difficult for the group to operate.

Obama spoke in response to a question at a White House news conference Friday, the day before the Sept. 11 anniversary.