Marines in combat gear leave Kandahar; Karzai says they're searching for Omar

By MATT KELLEY / Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Combat-ready U.S. Marines on Monday joined a mission to capture Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, thought to be hiding in the remote mountains of central Afghanistan, Prime Minister Hamid Karzai said.

"If he's there, he'll be arrested," Karzai told The Associated Press. "We are determined to see him arrested."

Dozens of Marines boarded CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters at their base in Kandahar, Omar's hometown and the Taliban's final stronghold in southern Afghanistan. The helicopters, which can hold up to 25 soldiers each, took off toward the northwest just before sunset.

Afghan officials believe Omar may be in the Baghran area, a remote, mountainous region about 100 miles northwest of Kandahar. A U.S. intelligence official said Monday that American officials also believe Omar probably is in that area.

Pentagon officials confirmed a mission was underway but refused to comment further, saying to do so could endanger those involved.

President Bush would not confirm the mission, but repeated that the U.S. military is intent on getting Omar and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

"We're going to get him. It's just a matter of when," Bush said as he stopped for lunch while vacationing near Crawford, Texas. "Any time you got a person running it means you're going to get him soon. Same with Mullah Omar. We're going to get him."

U.S. forces have been searching for Omar since Dec. 7, when he disappeared as Kandahar fell to anti-Taliban forces. Omar has close links to Baghran's tribal chief, Abdul Wahid, who was apparently involved in the negotiations that led to Kandahar's surrender.

Marines leaving for the mission carried full combat gear, including large backpacks, helmets, goggles and M-16 rifles. Some carried rocket launchers, which can be used to destroy tanks, other vehicles or bunkers from more than a half-mile away.

The Sea King helicopters they boarded, distinctive for their dual rotors, have a range of about 180 miles and are the Marine Corps' main medium-lift troop transport helicopter.

Karzai said he did not know if bin Laden was in the same area as Omar or was elsewhere. Some reports have suggested that bin Laden could be staying at or near Omar's hide-out.

"There are so many rumors about where Osama is," Karzai said.

U.S. officials say they believe bin Laden was in the mountainous Tora Bora area of eastern Afghanistan at least until mid-December. In a new videotape, the terrorist leader wanted in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States implied he was speaking in early or mid-December.

Meanwhile Monday, U.S. forces in Afghanistan took custody of 30 more suspected Taliban or al-Qaida prisoners, said Pentagon spokeswoman Maj. Cynthia Colin.

Twenty-five more prisoners were taken to the base at Kandahar, bringing the total there to 164, Colin said. Another five joined the two being held at the air base in Bagram, north of Kabul.

The additions bring the total number of prisoners held by the United States to 180. Another prisoner is being held in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Eight others, including American John Walker Lindh, are held aboard the USS Peleliu in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Pakistan.

Military officials also disputed reports that a U.S. airstrike early Saturday killed more than 100 civilians in an Afghan village.

The airstrike hit a compound used by Taliban and al-Qaida leaders, not a village, said Cmdr. Dave Culler, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command.

"If any innocents or civilians were killed in the attack, the cause would be the Taliban and al-Qaida leaders living alongside people who are not complicit with their crimes," Culler said Monday.

Marines also continued preparations to hand over the Kandahar base to soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

The Army troops will take over operations at the airport base, where Marines have been preparing runways for humanitarian flights and building facilities to hold hundreds of detainees.

Interrogators from the military, FBI and CIA are questioning the prisoners about the al-Qaida network and bin Laden's whereabouts.

The Marines being replaced at the Kandahar facility are part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is based on the Peleliu. Their replacement in Afghanistan will allow the Marines to train for other missions, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Humm said.

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