Hunt intensifies for bin Laden, al-Qaida members

By Chris Tomlinson

Associated Press

TORA BORA, Afghanistan – Afghan tribal fighters battled their way through mortar and machine-gun fire today and pushed Osama bin Laden loyalists from a strategic mountain valley leading to an underground complex where the terror suspect may be hiding.

B-52s and other American warplanes battered al-Qaida mortar positions on the mountaintops as the Afghan fighters – helped by U.S. special forces – seized caves in the Milawa valley in the White Mountains. A commander said forces loyal to bin Laden had been pushed back to the main complex at Tora Bora about a mile away.

U.S. Marines also intensified their hunt for Taliban leaders and members of the al-Qaida terror network around the southern city of Kandahar – the other region where Afghan and American officials think bin Laden may be hiding.

Marine “hunter-killer” teams in armored assault vehicles and backed by combat helicopters set up a staging ground at the foot of a jagged mountain about 12 miles outside Kandahar, from which officials said they could intercept fleeing fighters on the roads.

In Washington, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that although the Taliban have fallen, the military faced the tough task of tracking down bin Laden and eliminating al-Qaida. “Large numbers of al-Qaida terrorists are still at large. It’s going to be a very long and difficult job,” he said.

Afghanistan’s interim leader, Hamid Karzai, said getting rid of al-Qaida was a priority as the country tries to build a stable post-Taliban government.

“What Afghanistan needs is the full establishment of a national state, but first we must root out all the terrorists,” he told journalists in the former house of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar in Kandahar. “We must burn out all these roots.”

Karzai promised there would be no amnesty for the cleric if he were caught. Omar has disappeared since the Taliban abandoned Kandahar, their birthplace and last major city, on Friday.

The Pentagon said it targeted a cave in the Tora Bora area with its largest conventional bomb, the 15,000-pound “daisy cutter,” on Sunday on suspicion the cave might contain senior al-Qaida leaders, possibly including bin Laden. Spokesman Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said damage from the strike was not known.

Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that intelligence reports indicate bin Laden is hiding in Tora Bora, a complex of caves and tunnels carved into the White Mountains near the Pakistani border.

Backed by U.S. bombing, troops of the anti-Taliban eastern alliance launched a fierce assault from three sides today against al-Qaida defenders in the Milawa valley leading to Tora Bora. Some 1,000 pro-bin Laden fighters are thought to be holed up in the area.

Alliance fighters fired machine guns, anti-aircraft artillery and Soviet-era T-55 tanks at al-Qaida positions, which responded with machine guns and mortars. As night fell, bright red tracer rounds lit up the valley and exploded in white flashes.

Late today, one alliance commander, Haji Zahir, said his troops had taken all the valley except for two or three mortar positions – which were coming under attack during the night.

Three alliance fighters were killed, Zahir said. He said his forces captured 15 caves, some holding ammunition stocks. Stufflebeem confirmed that U.S. special forces were in the area to help the Afghan fighters.

Across the nearby border, helicopters dropped Pakistani soldiers on mountain peaks to stop any al-Qaida fighters who try to cross the 15,400-foot snowcapped peaks.

Zahir said the bulk of the al-Qaida forces in Milawa had been pushed back to the main Tora Bora complex. Any assault there will face even stiffer resistance, he said.

“When we finally get closer to Osama bin Laden’s people, our fight will get very serious and intensified,” Zahir told The Associated Press.

Though Tora Bora is seen as the most likely site, U.S. officials have not ruled out that bin Laden could be hiding around Kandahar.

To step up the hunt, Marines from Camp Rhino – their base about 70 miles southwest of Kandahar – set up a new position closer to the city. From the new staging ground, they said, they can move swiftly to intercept fighters trying to escape. “Any Taliban that still have their weapons or don’t drop them will die,” Capt. Stewart Upton said.

Super Stallion and Sea Knight helicopters kicked up clouds of dust as they brought in food, mortars and other equipment to the Marines at the staging ground. Servicemen moved in LAV-25s – fast-moving armored vehicles with a 25mm turret cannon – and Humvees armed with TOW anti-tank missiles.

“It feels very good to be here. Everybody wants to contribute,” said Marine Major Tom Impellitteri, 32, of Pennsylvania, the commander of the company at the new site. He said his men plastered a New York Fire Department bumper sticker on a nearby bridge.

In other developments:

_ The Bush administration weighed whether to make public a videotape in which bin Laden says he was pleasantly surprised by the extent of damage from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

_ The European Union named veteran German diplomat Klaus Peter Klaiber as special representative to Afghanistan and Central Asia to help coordinate support for Afghanistan’s new multiethnic government.

_ CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. Spann was killed at an uprising by Taliban prisoners outside Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan on Nov. 25.

Karzai, meanwhile, freed some 1,600 political prisoners from Kandahar’s jail, where the Taliban had brought them from across the country.

The new Afghan leader planned to head for the capital, Kabul, within days to begin organizing his interim government, due to be inaugurated Dec. 22. U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was due in Kabul on Tuesday to help smooth over differences among various factions over the U.N.-brokered deal setting up the administration.

Several key Afghan leaders, all of them with large militias, are demanding the deal be renegotiated. The strongest criticism has come from within the northern alliance, despite the fact that it received a majority of seats in the 30-member Cabinet. Some alliance members of the alliance feel left out after the alliance’s largest faction – that of its titular leader Burhanuddin Rabbani – received the three key ministries: defense, foreign and interior.

In Kabul, U.S. Marines secured the grounds of the American embassy, more than 12 years after the United States closed it. It was a preliminary step toward the eventual re-establishment of a U.S. diplomatic presence – and marked the first known U.S. military presence in Kabul.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.