‘Bin Laden is virtually impotent’

WASHINGTON – Seemingly taunting Osama bin Laden, President George W Bush’s homeland security adviser said the fugitive al Qaeda leader is ‘virtually impotent’ beyond his ability to hide away and spread anti-American propaganda.

The provocative characterisation on Sunday came just days after bin Laden attracted international attention with the release of a video in which he ridicules Bush about the Iraq war and reminds the world that he has not been captured. Ahead of the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist strikes, White House aide Frances Fragos Townsend made a clear attempt to diminish the influence – or the perception – of the man who masterminded those attacks.”This is about the best he can do,” Townsend said of bin Laden.”This is a man on a run, from a cave, who’s virtually impotent other than these tapes.”In appearances on two Sunday talk shows, she used the ‘virtually impotent’ reference both times, suggesting the language was chosen with careful purpose.”We know that al Qaeda is still determined to attack, and we take it seriously,” Townsend said.”But this tape appears to be nothing more than threats.It’s propaganda on their part.”Townsend was considerably more direct than even Bush in rebuking bin Laden.The US president responded to bin Laden’s tape last week by saying it was a reminder that the world is dangerous and that Iraq is part of the war against extremists.He never identified bin Laden by name.The consensus of the top US intelligence analysts is that bin Laden’s terrorist network is anything but impotent.Terrorism experts say the network is regrouping in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.The latest National Intelligence Estimate says al Qaeda is growing in strength, intensifying its efforts to put operatives in the United States and plotting against US targets that will cause massive casualties.The United States is in a ‘heightened threat environment’ and al Qaeda is the most serious threat, the analysts found.Nampa-APAhead of the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist strikes, White House aide Frances Fragos Townsend made a clear attempt to diminish the influence – or the perception – of the man who masterminded those attacks.”This is about the best he can do,” Townsend said of bin Laden.”This is a man on a run, from a cave, who’s virtually impotent other than these tapes.”In appearances on two Sunday talk shows, she used the ‘virtually impotent’ reference both times, suggesting the language was chosen with careful purpose.”We know that al Qaeda is still determined to attack, and we take it seriously,” Townsend said.”But this tape appears to be nothing more than threats.It’s propaganda on their part.”Townsend was considerably more direct than even Bush in rebuking bin Laden.The US president responded to bin Laden’s tape last week by saying it was a reminder that the world is dangerous and that Iraq is part of the war against extremists.He never identified bin Laden by name.The consensus of the top US intelligence analysts is that bin Laden’s terrorist network is anything but impotent.Terrorism experts say the network is regrouping in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.The latest National Intelligence Estimate says al Qaeda is growing in strength, intensifying its efforts to put operatives in the United States and plotting against US targets that will cause massive casualties.The United States is in a ‘heightened threat environment’ and al Qaeda is the most serious threat, the analysts found.Nampa-AP