(CNSNews.com) – The State Department has identified certain countries as terrorist safe havens, but has failed to address how these countries – some of them U.S. allies – are cooperating with the United States to combat the problem or how these countries are trying to prevent the trafficking weapons of mass destruction, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

“While State has identified existing terrorist safe havens since 2006, its assessments of these safe havens do not always include the details recommended by Congress,” the GAO report said.

“For instance, none of the assessments in State’s August 2010 report included information on the actions taken by countries identified as having terrorist safe havens to prevent trafficking in weapons of mass destruction through their territories. Including this information in State’s reporting could help inform congressional oversight related to terrorist safe havens,” the report added.

The lack of reporting is particularly relevant in light of the Navy Seals recent killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after U.S. intelligence found he had been hiding in a million dollar complex in Pakistan. Many lawmakers from both parties have questioned how Pakistani government officials did not know he was there.

“In my judgment it’s hard for anyone to believe they didn’t know he was there. And the question is at what level did the Pakistan government know about this?” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said. “Either they were complicit in providing material support to the most wanted terrorist by providing him a safe haven or they were totally incompetent to not know he was there.”

The report by the non-partisan GAO, the watchdog arm of Congress, was sent to Congress on June 3, addressed to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and McCaul, chairman of the oversight, investigations and management subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee.

“The idea that a report required by law under the National Defense Authorization Act and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act would not include information about proliferation about weapons of mass destruction to me is a woefully inadequate report,” McCaul said. “The ultimate job of this committee is to protect the American people, and without that information we can’t adequately do our jobs.”

The GAO did not specifically refer to bin Laden or Pakistan, but it said more comprehensive information is important for congressional oversight and in keeping with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires the State Department to provide an annual Country Reports on Terrorism identifying and providing details on countries that sponsor or harbor terrorists. It is the Country Reports on Terrorism that have failed to specify the information as required by Congress.

The 2004 law requires that the State Department reports include “information regarding knowledge of and actions to address terrorist activities taken by countries whose territory is being used as a terrorist safe haven.9 See table 2 for a list of these details.”

In response the State Department told the GAO it would have this information for the 2011 report on Country Reports on Terrorism, “including detailed assessments of efforts to prevent the proliferation of and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction in and through the territory of the country.”

However, the State Department did not concur with the GAO recommendation that the department include a government-wide list of U.S. efforts to address terrorist safe havens. “As noted in the GAO report, there are multiple reporting requirements concerning U.S. efforts to deny safe havens to terrorists and to provide antiterrorism assistance resources.

“To avoid duplications of effort and ensure efficient use of the government resources, the Department will undertake to include information related to these separate reporting requirements already in CRT.”

The State Department’s 2010 Country Reports on Terrorism release last August identified 13 countries or regions as terrorist safe havens. These are Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Trans Sahara, Lebanon, Colombia’s Border Region, Northern Iraq, Southern Philippines, Sulu/Sulawesi Seas Littoral, Tri-Border Areas and Venezuela.

For the purpose of the report, the GAO examined Somalia, the Philippines and Yemen.

In a May 23 response, the State Department describes a terrorist safe haven as “an area of relative security that can be exploited by terrorists to undertake activities such as recruiting, training, fundraising and planning operations.” The 9/11 Commission called on the federal government to identify and prioritize terrorism safe havens and strategies for dealing with them.