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Defense Secretary Robert Gates Says Finding Osama Bin Laden Could Take Many Years

March 18, 2009

Don't expect Osama Bin Laden to be captured any time soon. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates compares the hunt for Bin Laden to the FBI's 17-year long manhunt for the Unambomber.

How long might it really take to find al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden? U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggests the FBI's 17-year hunt for convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski as a reasonable guide.

Or worse still, Gates said on Wednesday, consider the fate of Americans taken hostage decades ago in Lebanon who died before the United States could find and rescue them.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Gates dismissed the notion that something might be amiss because bin Laden and his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, remain free more than seven years after the September 11 attacks.

"To a certain extent, I think too many people go to too many movies. Finding these guys is really hard, and especially if they have some kind of a support network," he said.

Robert Gages is pretty good at downplaying expectations. He also said, "Everybody continues to look for No. 1 and No. 2. And we will continue that effort and I think everyone's hope is that one of these days, we'll be successful."

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