U.S. Detects Bin Laden Giving Orders on Radio

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 17, 2001

U.S. Detects Bin Laden Giving Orders on Radio

American forces heard Osama bin Laden giving orders over short-range radio in the Tora Bora area of eastern Afghanistan during all-out assaults this past week on the rugged mountains and caves where he is believed hiding, a U.S. official said Saturday.

The voice on the radio was identified as bin Laden's through comparisons with his voice from several videotapes, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Americans have several ways to listen in on such radio transmissions, including gear carried by special operations forces and instruments on aircraft and satellites.

American officials say bin Laden could have escaped from the Tora Bora area after making the intercepted radio transmissions �� whose existence was first reported Saturday by the Washington Times �� though evading detection would be difficult.

Escaping would mean traveling through a dense forest and over high mountain ridges, probably either on foot or on a horse or donkey. That would expose bin Laden to U.S. or Pakistani surveillance, which is scrutinizing the area around the clock. The surveillance includes instruments that detect body heat �� which is much easier to spot when the ground is cold and snowy.

Bodyguards and aides who might accompany bin Laden would make his party easier to spot. Concealing a vehicle would be even harder, while air travel is hazardous over the mountains.

U.S. officials say there is a chance that tunnels in the Tora Bora area could provide an escape route. U.S. forces do not know how many tunnels there are or where their entrances and exits are, defense officials said.

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