| Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 16, 2001 |
Rumsfeld Says U.S. Will Find Osama Bin Laden |
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U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that his country will find Saudi- born extremist Osama bin Laden even if he leaves Afghanistan.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that his country will find Saudi- born extremist Osama bin Laden even if he leaves Afghanistan.
While Taliban rule appears to be weakening, bin Laden could escape the country that has shielded him for several years but not U.S. grasp, Rumsfeld said at a press conference at Pentagon.
Bin Laden is considered a "prime suspect" by the U.S. authorities in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
"I think we will find him, either there or in another country," Rumsfeld said.
The Pentagon chief said that the U.S. military was "highly unlikely" to participate in any peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
Asked if the United States would take part in a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, Rumsfeld said that his country may at some point want to put additional forces on the ground for activities such as repairing an airstrip or making improvements to an airport.
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