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Terror chief roams border
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11247892%255E2703,00.html
OSAMA bin Laden, whom George W. Bush vowed to take "dead or alive" in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, is still roaming free in the rugged frontier country between Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the US military.
But after three years of hunting the al-Qa'ida leader in Afghanistan, US forces were "not exactly sure" of his whereabouts, Scott Nelson, the spokesman for the US-led coalition, said yesterday.
"He is operating probably in the Afghanistan or Pakistan border area," Major Nelson told a media conference in the Afghan capital Kabul.
"If we knew exactly where he was we would be there in a moment . . . but we don't know exactly where he is."
About 16,000 US troops dominate the 18,000-strong military coalition in Afghanistan, ordered to capture and kill members of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban and other groups.
The Taliban regime was harbouring Saudi-born bin Laden at the time of the September 11 attacks, but he escaped when the US invaded Afghanistan soon afterwards.
Despite a $US25 million ($33 million) bounty on his head, all attempts to find him have proved unsuccessful.
The frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan winds for about 2500km, mostly unmarked, through rugged mountains and remote plains. The border is porous and difficult to patrol.
"You've been there, you've seen the mountains – you can hide pretty much anywhere," Major Nelson said.
Hundreds of al-Qa'ida and Taliban fighters have found sanctuary and set up training camps in remote Pakistani tribal areas along the border, where local tribes support their Islamic jihad and share their hatred of the US forces.
However, Major Nelson insisted bin Laden would be caught. He said al-Qa'ida was slowly collapsing, partly due to increased operations by Pakistani forces on their side of the border. "We don't have a timeframe on when bin Laden will be captured, but we have firm confidence he will be . . . it is a matter of time," he said.
"The organisation has been taken down piece by piece. Pakistan is doing operations against al-Qa'ida that have had a lot of success.
"We've seen increasing capability in Afghanistan with the Afghan national Government, the Afghan army and security forces in Afghanistan.
"All these combined will lead to bin Laden's arrest or capture or kill."
The videotape broadcast at the weekend is the first proof bin Laden is still alive since he appeared in a broadcast on September 10, 2003. In contrast to that earlier tape, the al-Qa'ida leader looked relaxed and in good health.