Hunt for Osama bin Laden takes on greater urgency

Six months ago, President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf acknowledged that the search for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of global terrorism, could take a day, a month or even years, but that their countries "will stay on the hunt." Today, the two leaders must realize they really don't have the luxury of time.
The Dec. 14 attempt on Musharraf's life was a stark reminder of just how dangerous the world is with bin Laden at large. Musharraf was riding in a limousine through the city of Rawalpindi when a bomb was detonated. The blast ripped through a concrete bridge just after the president's car had crossed it.
According to the Associated Press, high-tech jamming devices saved the Pakistani president by delaying by a few crucial seconds the detonation of the bomb.
Although no one has taken responsibility for the assassination attempt, the sophistication and size of the device -- 550 pounds of explosives -- suggests involvement by operatives of Al-Qaida, the international terrorist organization directed by bin Laden.
Musharraf contended that home-grown religious extremists were most likely behind the attempt on his life, but Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat would not rule out Al-Qaida's involvement. Indeed, Islamic hard-liners have turned on the president ever since he withdrew support for the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America's mainland.
Protection
Bin Laden, who has claimed responsibility for coordinating the attack that killed more than 3,000, was operating out of Afghanistan and was being protected by the Taliban. The Islamic extremist government allowed Al-Qaida to set up training camps in the mountain region. In response to 9/11, President Bush organized an international coalition force that attacked Afghanistan and subsequently ousted the Taliban government.
Bin Laden fled into the mountains and was recently reported to be in a remote province in Pakistan.
While there have been many alleged sightings of bin Laden along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Pakistani government has given short shrift to them. The Pakistani intelligence agency has come under suspicion because of its less than aggressive effort to capture the world's leading terrorist.
Now, however, security agencies are working overtime to counter terrorist threats, while the Bush administration has reiterated its commitment to "confront [terrorism] everywhere."
Without a doubt, the invasion of Iraq earlier this year, resulting in the ouster and recent capture of Saddam Hussein, has diverted attention from bin Laden and Al-Qaida. It has given bin Laden and his followers a chance to regroup.
The capture of Saddam was good for Iraq. The capture or death of bin Laden will be good for the world.