Bush says catching bin Laden still matters: CBS

Washington, Sept 7: President George W. Bush said capturing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who has eluded a US manhunt since the September 11 attacks five years ago, still mattered.

''He's hiding. And we're on the hunt, obviously,'' Bush said yesterday in an interview with Katie Couric of CBS News before his speech announcing that 14 high-level terrorism suspects had been transferred from secret CIA custody to the Defense Department's facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

''Of course. It matters. He's, he's the head of al Qaeda,'' Bush said. ''But one thing is for certain, though, he's not moving like he used to. Another thing is ... he's, you know, not communicating like he used to.'' The hunt continues for bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, as well as others, Bush said.

''And we'll get him. It's just a matter of time. We've got a unit in the CIA who is spending a lot of time thinking about these high-value targets,'' he said.

Bush said airline security was ''much improved,'' citing hardened cockpit doors, pilots able to carry guns, and better information about who was getting on the plane.

''Is there more work to be done? Of course. But there's more work to be done on every front,'' he said.

Information sharing between security agencies, one of the key criticisms about the government's performance related to the September 11, 2001, attacks, was ''much better than prior to September the 11th,'' Bush said, citing a counter-terrorism center where people from different agencies work.

''We're working to improve as best as we possibly can. But this system of ours has improved dramatically since September the 11th,'' he said.

REUTERS

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