| I thought they were going to trot him out for the convention? |
A U.S. counterterrorism official said here Friday that nearly 75 percent of the al-Qaida terror network's senior leadership has been eliminated and the capture of its fugitive chief, Osama bin Laden, is closer than ever. Cofer Black, U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, told a select group of journalists that the arrests of hundreds of al-Qaida activists and members of its top hierarchy by Pakistan have brought the arrest of bin Laden closer. "If you are asking if we are close to getting OBL, the answer is yes," he said, when asked whether the large-scale arrests are leading to the capture of bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. "Our president (George W. Bush) has said we will arrest Osama bin Laden. It is guaranteed," he said, adding it could happen tomorrow, in a week or a month from now.
| Hopefully not longer, though I'll bet it is. And what's this "arrest" stuff? |
Black, a former CIA agent, spoke after attending a meeting between Pakistani and U.S. officials on counterterrorism, in which they discussed matters relating to terrorism, narcotics and capacity building in the two fields. Black denied suggestions that Washington has tasked Islamabad with the arrest of bin Laden. "The United States does not give tasks to Pakistan. Pakistan is an independent and sovereign state," he said.
A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said that during the two days of talks, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation and reaffirmed their determination to improve such efforts and work closely in the mutual interest of both countries. "Hundreds of al-Qaida killers have been removed from the scene and innocent people made safe," Black said, while lauding the role of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani government in killing and arresting a large number of terrorists in an ongoing crackdown on terror. |