Hunt for OBL not gone in cold: White House

WASHINGTON—The US Administration has said America and its allies are continuously pursuing top al-Qaeda operatives, with a White House Spokesman brushing aside reports that the trail of Osama bin Laden has gone "stone cold."
In an address to the American nation on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 attacks, President George Bush said the United States is determined to hunt terrorists.
"Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice," he said Monday evening.
Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also said the US and its allies including Pakistan continue to search for top operatives.
"Osama bin Laden will be found eventually and we have not only the United States, but Afghanistan, Pakistan, everybody is looking for him," she stated Monday in an interview on The Early Show with Hannah Storm.
However, Rice said she did not know where exactly Osama is hiding but added that "his world has gotten smaller."
The American leaders spoke a day after The Washington Post reported that the search for bin Laden had gone "stone cold" with no credible leads in more than two years.
Commenting on the report, the White House Press Secretary Tony Snow termed it absolutely wrong. "That's just flat wrong -- we have never stopped looking for bin Laden and will not until we have found him and dealt with him," he was quoted as saying by reporters accompanying the US President on his way to New York for Ground Zero commemorative ceremonies.
Snow, however, noted the al-qaeda chief "is harder to find these days because he, in fact, does not feel at liberty to move about, he does not feel at liberty to use electronic means of communications.
"And under such circumstances, somebody leaves fewer clues. But the United States and allies are continuing to pursue bin Laden and have never ceased doing so," he added.—Agencies