Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf

Meeting with President Bush at the White House,

Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, in Washington.

“I am very pleased with his efforts,” said the President.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

But Now, Who Will Look For Him?

Our Ally Withdraws

Pakistan is decreasing its role in the still-unsuccessful hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden by withdrawing its army from the region where the terrorist mastermind is still believed to be hiding by most military intelligence analysts.

The architect of the Sept. 11 attacks against the United States, bin Laden has been on the loose since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.

President Bush characterized Musharraf as "a determined leader to bring to justice not only people like Osama bin Laden but to bring to justice those would inflict harm and pain on his own people. ... I am very pleased with his efforts.  His army has suffered casualties, and for that we want to thank their loved ones for the sacrifice that their family has made," Bush said.

U.S. officials had praised Pakistan for its operations around Wana, the main town of the lawless and fiercely autonomous Waziristan region. Heavy resistance this year led to increased speculation that another high-profile fugitive - bin Laden's first deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri - was finally cornered.

But Pakistani commanders now say they saw no sign of bin Laden or of al-Zawahri.

So Pakistan is withdrawing thousands of its troops from the tense tribal region near Afghanistan. The decision to pull back comes after several costly military operations against bin Laden's al-Qaida organization and its supporters in recent months.

Between 7,000 and 8,000 Pakistani forces had been deployed in the eastern reaches of the rugged mountainous region. U.S. military forces numbering less than 18,000 remain on the western Afghanistan side in hopes of capturing or killing any al-Qaida operatives crossing the border.

Neither President Bush nor General Musharraf publicly mentioned Washington's concerns over Musharraf's backtracking on another pledge to relinquish his military post.

The general, who seized power in Pakistan in a coup in 1999, had pledged in December 2003 to relinquish his army position as part of a commitment to civilian rule and democracy. His government pushed through a law this year, however, to allow him to keep his separate military role.

This law has caused some concern that Pakistan is not progressing towards democracy as quickly as the U.S. had hoped.

But U.S. officials are also mindful of the need to avoid upsetting Pakistan's internal politics, especially because of reports of a pending deal for the United States to sell military surveillance airplanes, anti-tank missiles, and other weapons worth more than $1 Billion to Pakistan.

While a healthy looking bin Laden has appeared recently on videotapes, U.S. officials have sought to down play his significance in the broader anti-terror battle - a shift from the days immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Four days after the strikes, President Bush declared that bin Laden would be "sorely mistaken" to think he could hide from the United States. Days later, the President drew upon the "Wanted: Dead or Alive" saying from the American West when asked about his wishes for bin Laden.

Today, President Bush rarely mentions Terrorist Leader Osama bin Laden at all.