Hiding in Pakistan? Years Later Bin Laden Elusive

Sept. 10, 2007 — -- The United States is on the verge of remembering the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and still Osama bin Laden remains elusive.

A recently released tape from bin Laden has intelligence officials scrambling to assess its significance, but it has a meaning that goes far beyond its words.

For America, the tape may serve as a painful reminder that bin Laden remains at large, maybe hidden in Pakistan in the mountains that divide Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Geography presents a challenge to finding him, but military mistakes have also caused problems as Pakistani troops, with some U.S. assistance, search for bin Laden.

Disputes between Pakistani military and local tribesman and militia have turned Pakistani troops into the enemy in many areas, and the violence appears to be growing. Since 2001, 800 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in these disputes, but 200 have died in just the last two months.

And for all the time and $10 billion in U.S. aid, the only solid proof that bin Laden is even alive has come from the man himself.

Pakistan Troubles

In a rare trip into one of the 11 tribal areas in the northwest frontier provinces in the Pakistani mountains, evidence exists of growing violence that included car bomb explosions in the region during the weekend. It was the third attack against a military target in the past week.

Somewhere in the mountain range, al Qaeda is reported to have reformed itself. Once again, the group is holding meetings and communicating attack plans through prepaid cell phones, radio networks and producing videotapes. It is moving its leaders, including bin Laden, while using look-alikes and false movements to fool surveillance planes.

Despite suspicion that bin Laden is holed up in the mountains along the border, nobody is looking in the area because the Pakistani government doesn't allow U.S. military action there.

And the tribes that control the area are not cooperating with the Pakistani government. In fact, the relationship has gotten so bad that the area may now be a safe haven for bin Laden and his associates.

U.S.-Pakistan Connection

The U.S. government insists Pakistan's military is engaged in a robust search for bin Laden, assisted by U.S. training and assets, which includes helicopters, communications equipment and access to sensitive intelligence networks.

But military sources said there have been few, if any, credible leads in years, and much of America's best assets are dedicated to Iraq.

Pakistani officials are quick to counter and have said they have 80,000 men on the ground in tribal areas, and hope remains.

But most of the troops do not speak the local language. And sources said the Pakistani military's heavy-handed tactics have made enemies of the tribal chiefs, who are the very people who could help find bin Laden.

Search efforts have been relegated to air attacks on supposed safe houses, bombings that have taken innocent lives, outraged civilians and emboldened militants.

Because of the ill will, Western military sources told ABC News the tribal areas now play host to perhaps a dozen different anti-Western groups.

"For the last few years I have not heard of any [military] operation to capture a high value target," Rahimullah Yusufzai, an ABC News consultant and Pakistani journalist. "I haven't seen on the troops going in to a village to arrest someone. All they do is bomb the place."