Thread: CIA Rushing Resources to Bin Laden Hunt

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/200 ... g_res.html

CIA Rushing Resources to Bin Laden Hunt
March 05, 2007 3:47 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Armed with fresh intelligence, the CIA is moving additional man power and equipment into Pakistan in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, U.S. officials tell ABC News.

"Reports that the trail has gone stone cold are not correct," said one U.S. official. "We are very much increasing our efforts there," the official said.

People familiar with the CIA operation say undercover officers with paramilitary training have been ordered into Pakistan and the area across the border with Afghanistan as part of the ramp-up.

THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
Blotter Afghanistan: U.S. Forces Arrack Suspected al Qaeda Hideout
Blotter CIA: Bin Laden in Pakistan Establishing New Camps
Click Here to Check Out the Latest Brian Ross Slideshows
Although never publicly acknowledged, Pakistan has permitted CIA teams to secretly operate inside Pakistan.

Pakistan officials say they are aware that CIA teams have increased their presence in northern Waziristan since last September when Pakistan withdrew its troops from the area under a much-criticized "peace deal" with tribal leaders.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified last week that current intelligence "to the best of our knowledge" puts both bin Laden and al Zawahri in Pakistan. It was the first time a high-ranking U.S. official publicly identified Pakistan as bin Laden's hiding place.

Past intelligence has indicated that bin Laden often changed locations in March, traveling to hiding places in the mountains once the snow cover begins to melt.

Weigh In: Where Is Osama bin Laden?

Weigh In: Where Is Osama bin Laden?

I think that he is sitting in Hugo Chavez's living room, sitting on a Lazy Boy recliner, eating a bag of chips and watching CNN. Leaving only to visit their good friend, Fidel Castro.