Allies No Closer in Hunt for Bin Laden

WASHINGTON – In the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the United States and its allies have essentially gotten nowhere lately, says Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“We are not closer, we are not further away from it,” Mr. Karzai said before his two-day summit with President Bush at Camp David, Md. “We are where we were a few years ago.”

Mr. Karzai ruled out that Mr. bin Laden was in Afghanistan, but otherwise said he didn’t know where the leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network was likely hiding. Mr. Karzai’s comments, in an interview on CNN’s Late Edition, were taped Saturday in Kabul and broadcast Sunday.

Mr. bin Laden is believed to be living in the tribal border region of Pakistan. His ability to avoid capture remains a major source of frustration for U.S.-led forces.

Mr. Karzai arrived at Camp David in the late afternoon greeted by Mr. Bush and first lady Laura Bush. The president did a 360-degree spin in a golf cart for the assembled media and drove the three of them away.

The Afghan leader’s visit comes as he faces competing troubles at home – civilian killings, surging opium production and steady violence. All of those matters are expected to be discussed with Mr. Bush.

Afghanistan’s fragility is of paramount concern to the United States. Mr. Bush is expected to prod Mr. Karzai on how his government can exert – and extend – its authority.

“Karzai wants to shore up his ties in Washington,” said Teresita Schaffer, a former top State Department official for south Asia. “And I think the U.S. government very much wants to get a stronger sense of how we can develop a common political strategy.”

Despite its progress since U.S.-led forces toppled the militant Taliban regime in 2001, Afghanistan still is dominated by poverty and lawlessness. Stability has been hindered by the lack of government order.

“The security situation in Afghanistan over the past two years has definitely deteriorated,” Mr. Karzai said in the interview. “There is no doubt about that.”

Mr. Bush and Mr. Karzai are also likely to discuss Afghanistan’s distrustful relationship with neighboring Pakistan. Mr. Karzai said the flow of foreign fighters from Pakistan into his country is a concern he will address soon with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

(c) 2007 Augusta Chronicle, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.