(Updates with more comments from Hayden)
WASHINGTON (AFP)--Osama bin Laden remains deeply isolated and has been forced to devote much of his energy to his own security, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a speech on Thursday.
"He is putting a lot of energy into his own survival, a lot of energy into his own security. In fact, he appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he nominally heads," Hayden said, referring to the Al-Qaeda network.
Hunting down bin Laden remains a high priority for the Central Intelligence Agency, he said.
"I can assure you, although there has been press speculation to the contrary, I can assure you that the hunt for bin Laden is very much at the top of CIA's priority list," he said.
He suggested that bin Laden was hiding somewhere in the remote Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, where he said Al-Qaeda has regrouped and bolstered its organization.
Hayden described "the sheer challenge of surveying every square mile of that inhospitable and dangerous region," and said "part of the explanation for his survival lies in the fact that he has worked to avoid detection."
Killing or capturing bin Laden would deal a severe blow to the terror network blamed for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said.
"Because of his iconic stature, his death or capture clearly would have a significant impact on the confidence of his followers, both core Al Qaeda and these unaffiliated extremists, unaffiliated extremists throughout the world," Gates said.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 13, 2008 17:55 ET (22:55 GMT)

Publié le 13 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones