Bin Laden Trail Has Gone Cold

6 December 2004 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said the hunt for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has gone cold and there is no indication of his whereabouts, "The Washington Post" reported yesterday.

The newspaper quoted Musharraf as saying that Pakistani forces are still pursuing bin Laden, but that recent security operations had determined only that he is still alive.

Musharraf later told CNN television that he remains "absolutely" committed to trying to find bin Laden.

Bin Laden remains at large more than three years after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, which were blamed on Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden was last believed to be hiding in the vast and sparsely populated border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

(Reuters/Washington Post)