Afghan war ‘harder’ than anticipated: CIA chief * Panetta says Qaeda at its weakest since 9/11 * Says terrorist network is finding smarter ways to try to attack US * Hopes sustained US pressure can flush out Osama from ‘very deep hiding’ in FATA * Defends drone strikes, saying that claims they violate international law are ‘dead wrong’ * Iran could have two atom bombs ready by 2012 WASHINGTON: The US is making progress in Afghanistan but the war has been “harder and slower than anyone anticipated”, CIA chief Leon Panetta said on Sunday. “There are some serious problems here,” Panetta told the ABC network’s “This Week” programme. “We’re dealing with a tribal society. We’re dealing with a country that has problems with governance, problems with corruption, problems with narcotics trafficking, problems with a Taliban insurgency,” said Panetta. “We are making progress. It’s harder, it’s slower than I think anyone anticipated,” he said. Weak: Panetta said al Qaeda is probably at its weakest since the September 11 attacks because of US-led strikes, with only 50 to 100 Taliban operating inside Afghanistan and the rest hiding along the Tribal Areas. Smarter ways: He said the US has not had good intelligence on Osama Bin Laden’s whereabouts for years and that the terrorist network is finding smarter ways to try to attack the US. Of greatest concern, he said, is al Qaeda’s reliance on operatives without previous records or those living in the US. Hiding: The CIA’s chief said nearly …