Trail gone cold on Bin Laden says Musharraf

Osama bin Laden

More than three years after the terror attacks of 11 September 2001 on the United States, Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf - in whose country Osama bin Laden is has believed to hiding - has admitted he has no idea where the al Qaeda leader is.

Security operations and the interrogation of suspects, he said, had only confirmed that Bin Laden was still alive. It has long been believed that the al Qaeda leader is hiding in the mountainous region along Pakistan's north-western border with Afghanistan. General Musharraf admitted the trail had gone cold. He said: "We don't know where he is."

The comments by General Musharraf, who met President George Bush in Washington DC over the weekend, will add to the concerns of those who question Pakistan's commitment to tracking down al Qaeda members. The Pakistan intelligence community, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or ISI, enjoyed a close, even symbiotic, relationship for years with the Taleban government of Afghanistan, which was protecting Bin Laden.

General Musharraf, the head of the army who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, points out that the semi-autonomous tribal area of south Waziristan in which Bin Laden is believed to be hiding is a sensitive place for government troops to operate. He said he has worked hard to win the support of tribal leaders in the hunt for Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Mr Bush praised the general's efforts, on Saturday after their meeting, to track down al Qaeda. "Remember, this is a man whose life had been threatened by, and still is threatened by the al Qaeda leadership," Mr Bush said.

- INDEPENDENT