We almost captured bin Laden, says Musharraf
Pakistani security forces came close to capturing Osama bin Laden in an operation about eight to 10 months ago, but the terror mastermind eluded arrest and his trail has since gone cold, Pakistan’s president said today.
Though President General Pervez Musharraf did not say where the operation took place, the comment was the first official indication that bin Laden is still in Pakistan.
Intelligence officials have said they believe he is hiding in the rugged mountains that straddle the border with Afghanistan.
“There was a time when the dragnet had closed and we thought we knew roughly the area where he possibly could be,” Musharraf told the BBC.
“That was, I think, some time back … maybe about eight to 10 months back,” he said, adding: “But after that, this is such a game, this intelligence, that they escape. They can move and then you lose contact.”
The comments confirm Pakistani intelligence officials’ claims that the trail of the world’s most wanted man has gone cold. Senior officials close to the hunt have said they have received no information on his whereabouts for months, and have no indication of any specific attack he is planning.
Musharraf and other Pakistani leaders say the silence is a sign they have destroyed al-Qaida’s network in the country.
Musharraf’s remarks came weeks after the US government launched a series of TV and radio adverts in Pakistan trumpeting the €18.6m reward Washington is offering for any information leading to the capture of bin Laden.
