NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday the capture of an Al-Qaeda operative in Libya was "appropriate and legal" but added that Washington had not informed the Libyan government of the operation.

Mr Kerry told journalists at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on the Indonesian island of Bali that the United States does "everything in its power that is appropriate and legal" to hunt down terrorists.

He also said the United States "does not go into the specifics" with foreign governments about operations such as the one that led to the capture of Abu Anas al-Liby at the weekend.