US President George W. Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said yesterday he remains confident terrorist leader Osama bin Laden "will be brought to justice" despite a so-far futile four-year hunt.
Asked about the search for bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and the president's call shortly afterward for getting him "dead or alive," Bush said the search for bin Laden and his associates continues.
"It's not a matter of if they're brought to justice, it's when they're brought to justice," Bush said at a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
The US military leads a 21,000 strong international coalition hunting al-Qaeda and militant supporters of the former Taliban regime ousted in late 2001 for hosting bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
"We're making progress in dismantling al-Qaeda. Slowly but surely, we're bringing the people to justice and the world is better for it," Bush said.
His visit comes as violence in Afghanistan is surging. More than 200 US personnel have died in the Afghan conflict in the past four years.
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