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We may never find bin Laden, Bush concedes War in Afghanistan: Observer special
http://www.observer.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4326935,00.html
Ed Helmore in New York Sunday December 30, 2001 The Observer
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But Afghans were not eager to search caves in cold weather for al-Qaeda leaders. Indeed, they may have helped many to escape. According to new US intelligence quoted in the New York Times, some militia commanders have smuggled Arab fighters, perhaps dozens, out of Afghanistan for up to $5,000 a head.
Their elusiveness, so far, denies the US success in a goal which Bush enunciated one week after the attacks on New York and Washington when he said he wanted bin Laden brought to justice 'dead or alive'.
His shift of emphasis was signalled on Friday when he said 'our objective is more than bin Laden' and that the war in Afghanistan was only part of the effort against global terrorism. 'He's on the run, if he's running at all,' Bush said. 'I mean, this is a guy who three months ago was in control of a country. Now he's maybe in control of a cave.'
Speaking from his Texas ranch, Bush was also seeking to prepare the American public for a campaign in Afghanistan very different from the display of military superiority seen so far. He said he expected American troops to remain in the country for 'quite a long period of time' to flush out remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. There is growing concern that the US military did not use all of its capabilities, such as deploying helicopter-borne troops, in the search.
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