War on terror 'not getting results'

Amid growing restlessness in the US military, and sharp questioning by Congress, there are worries in Washington that the failure to kill or capture al Qaeda leaders will sap the public's patience and deplete support for President Bush's war on terrorism.

Only one top al Qaeda man and seven lesser figures have been seized or killed since the war began, according to Washington officials.

In the latest controversy over " missed opportunities" to rid the world of terrorism, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld said that at least 14 people killed in a widely publicised US raid last month were neither Taliban nor al Qaeda fighters.

The raid was ordered after US intelligence reported that al Qaeda or Taliban activity had been detected at a pair of complexes at Hazar Qadamm, Afghanistan. But the men taken prisoner were found to be "not hostile" and were later released.

Not one of the FBI's 10 most wanted terrorists is confirmed dead or in custody, and Pentagon officials who are sorting through the men in US custody acknowledge they have no clear idea how many are members of al Qaeda.

A Pentagon official said this week that he believed allied forces had captured or otherwise disposed of " several hundred" al Qaeda members. But he conceded that none were leaders of the network.

Most importantly, it is believed Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri, are still alive.

Members of Congress are beginning to ask pointed questions about the failure to catch important terrorists.

Senator James Bunning, a Republican who supports Mr Bush's war policy, summed up the mood by asking: "Why were so many people able to flee Afghanistan?"