DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./PAKISTAN: BIN LADEN ALIVE & LIVING IN PAKISTAN

US intelligence officials say bin Laden still alive, in Pakistan

WASHINGTON, July 11 (KUNA) -- Top U.S. intelligence officials said before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on global security assessment on Wednesday that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and living in ungoverned areas of Pakistan.

Director of Intelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency John Kringen told the panel that 2,098 days after the September 11, 2001, attacks that the United States had tracked down the mastermind behind the attacks to "tribal areas" of Pakistan, where he likely was protected by tribal leaders.

"The challenge we face is those are ungoverned spaces in which the Pakistani government does not control much of that -- very tribally based. And so it is very, very difficult to operate in that environment," said Kringen, adding that the tribal leaders were not "economically motivated" to turn in bin Laden.

"The other thing is Osama bin Laden in particular goes into extended periods in which he does not communicate, does not interact with anyone directly," Kringen said.

Also at the hearing, deputy director of National Intelligence for Analysis for the national intelligence office, Thomas Finegar, told the panel that al Qaeda is "the terrorist organization posing the greatest threat to U.S. interests, including the homeland." Despite the urging of several in the U.S. Congress, the United States has avoided going into Pakistan without the aid of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who is considered by the Bush administration to be a major ally in the effort to capture al Qaeda members.



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1) US intelligence officials say bin Laden still alive, in Pakistan