al Qaeda plotting attack against US: Obama

President Barack Obama on Thursday said al Qaeda and its affiliates continue to plan attack against the United States even as he said that Osama bin Laden-led outfit is under pressure in Pakistan.

"As we speak, al Qaeda and their affiliates continue to plan attacks against us. Thanks to our intelligence and law enforcement professionals, we are disrupting plots and securing our cities and skies," Obama said in his State of the Union Address before a joint session of the US Congress.

"As extremists try to inspire acts of violence within our borders, we are responding with the strength of our communities, with respect for the rule of law, and with the conviction that American Muslims are a part of our American family," said the US President

Reiterating that the al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan is under more pressure than at any point since 2001, he said his administration is determined to defeat the terrorist outfit.

"In Pakistan, al Qaeda's leadership is under more pressure than at any point since 2001. Their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefield. Their safe-havens are shrinking," Obama said.

"We have sent a message from the Afghan border to the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe: We will not relent, we will not waver, and we will defeat you," the US President said.