US President George W Bush declared on Wednesday that the capture of Al Qaeda's operational chief in Pakistan "represents a critical victory in the war on terror". During an appearance to talk about Social Security, Bush praised the Pakistani government for the arrest earlier this week of Abu Farraj al-Libbi. Bush called him "a major facilitator and a chief planner" for Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network and said that his arrest "removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom. I applaud the Pakistani government for their strong cooperation in the war on terror". The president said that the Pakistanis had acted on "solid intelligence" to bring him to justice and vowing that those fighting terrorism will "stay on the offensive until Al Qaeda is defeated".