Washington: The White House says its top counterterrorism agency chief is resigning after nearly five years at his post.
The president called National Counterterrorism Center director Michael Leiter "a trusted adviser to me and to the entire national security team, providing us with an in-depth understanding of terrorist activities."
Leiter is leaving on what those close to him call a "high note," now that one of the nation's major counterterror goals has been met with the killing of Osama bin Laden last month.
The former fighter pilot also just put the finishing touches on a new national counterterrorism strategy he helped craft for the White House, outlining what an administration official called "a broad, sustained, and integrated campaign against al-Qaida."
The official said the strategy, to be announced in coming months, will help coordinate US counterterrorism efforts with those of its allies, in the aftermath of the bin Laden killing and the regime-changing revolutions throughout the Middle East.
A second US official says it sets priorities for terror targets and breaks threats into two tiers, according to the level of danger to the United States.
The new measures -- budget cuts and a sell-off of state holdings in companies and real estate -- are a precondition for Greece to receive the next part of its $161 billion rescue package granted in 2010.
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