U.S. review: Bin Laden was at Tora Bora

THE WASHINGTON POST

Originally published Wednesday, April 17, 2002

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al-Qaida, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge.

Intelligence officials have assembled what they believe to be decisive evidence, from contemporary and subsequent interrogations and intercepted communications, that bin Laden began the battle of Tora Bora inside the cave complex along Afghanistan's mountainous eastern border. Though there remains a remote chance that he died there, the intelligence community is persuaded that bin Laden slipped away in the first 10 days of December.

After-action reviews, conducted privately inside and outside the military chain of command, describe the episode as a significant defeat for the United States. A common view among those interviewed outside the U.S. Central Command is that Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the war's operational commander, misjudged the interests of putative Afghan allies and let pass the best chance to capture or kill al-Qaida's leader. Without professing second thoughts about Tora Bora, Franks has changed his approach in subsequent battles, using Americans as first-line combat units.

"I don't think you can ever say with certainty, but we did conclude (bin Laden) was there, and that conclusion has strengthened with time," said one defense official, giving an authoritative account of the intelligence consensus. "We have high confidence that he was there, and also high confidence, but not as high, that he got out."

Franks continues to dissent from that analysis.

Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, his chief spokesman, said the general is unpersuaded. "We have never seen anything that was convincing to us at all that Osama bin Laden was present at any stage of Tora Bora-before, during or after," Quigley said. "I know you've got voices in the intelligence community that are taking a different view, but I just wanted you to know our view as well."

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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