Combat-ready US Marines launched a mission Monday to capture Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, thought to be hiding in the remote mountains of central Afghanistan, Prime Minister Hamid Karzai said.
"If he's there, he'll be arrested," Karzai said. "We are determined to see him arrested."
Dozens of Marines boarded CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters at their base in Kandahar, Omar's hometown and the Taleban's final stronghold in southern Afghanistan. The helicopters, which can hold up to 25 soldiers each, took off toward the northwest just before sunset.
A B-52 bomber and fighter jet also could be seen headed in the same direction.
Afghan officials believe Omar may be in the Baghran area, a remote, mountainous region about 100 miles northwest of Kandahar. A US intelligence official said Monday that American officials also believe Omar probably is in that area.
Pentagon officials confirmed a mission was under way but refused to comment further, saying to do so could endanger those involved.
President Bush would not confirm the mission, but repeated that the US military is intent on getting Omar and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
"We're going to get him. It's just a matter of when," Bush said as he stopped for lunch while vacationing near Crawford, Texas. "Any time you get a person running, it means you're going to get him pretty soon. And the same with Mullah Omar. It's just a matter of time."
US forces have been searching for Omar since he apparently fled Kandahar before its surrender to Karzai and other anti-Taleban forces Dec. 7. Omar has close links to Baghran's tribal chief, Abdul Wahid, who was apparently involved in the negotiations that led to Kandahar's surrender.
Marines leaving for the mission carried full combat gear, including large backpacks, helmets, goggles and M-16 rifles. Their weapons also included 5.56mm light machine guns, grenades and 72mm anti-tank weapons - which also can be used to destroy other vehicles and bunkers. Their commanders had maps and battle plans spread out on the ground.
The Sea King helicopters they boarded, distinctive for their dual rotors, have a range of about 289 kilometres and are the Marine Corps' main medium-lift troop transport helicopter.
Karzai did not provide any details on how many Afghans were involved in the operation or what their role might be.
Asked whether he thought Osama bin Laden might be with Omar, Karzai said: "It is difficult to know. There have been so many rumours about bin Laden's whereabouts."
US officials say they believe bin Laden was in the mountainous Tora Bora area of eastern Afghanistan at least until mid-December. In a new videotape, the terrorist leader wanted in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks implied he was speaking in early or mid-December.
Meanwhile, US forces in Afghanistan took custody of 30 more suspected Taleban or al-Qaida prisoners, bringing the total held to 180, said Pentagon spokeswoman Maj. Cynthia Colin.
Twenty-five more prisoners were taken to the base at Kandahar, bringing the total there to 164, Colin said. Another five joined the two being held at the air base in Bagram, north of Kabul.
Also Monday, a US special forces soldier was shot in the leg when his unit came under fire on a road outside of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, officials said. The wound was not life-threatening and the unit was rescued, said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Klee, a spokesman for US Central Command.
The special forces unit involved in the shootout was on a road outside Jalalabad, where bandits as well as Taleban supporters make travel dangerous. The unit came under fire at 12:30 p.m. EDT, fired back and called in a quick reaction force for backup, Klee said.
The unidentified gunmen had fled by the time a US helicopter brought the reaction force, Klee said.
- REUTERS
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US Marines on mission to capture Taleban leader Omar
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