Where is bin Laden? Secretary Gates Says No Intel in 'Years'

http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009...-in-years.html

December 05, 2009 6:04 PM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told me that the U.S. has not had any good intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden in "years."

He also couldn’t confirm reports that a detainee in Pakistan had claimed that he had information on where bin Laden was earlier this year. He made the startling admission during my interview with him for "This Week" airing Sunday.

Here's the exchange:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "The Pakistani Prime Minister shrugged off any concerns about that this week, about whether or not he’d done enough to go after Osama bin Laden. He said he doesn’t believe Osama is in Pakistan. Is he right and do you think the Pakistanis have done enough to get him?"

DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: "Well, we don’t know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we’d go get him"

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "What was the last time we had any good intelligence on where he was?

DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: "I think it’s been years."

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "Years?!"

DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: "I think so."

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "So these reports that came out just this week about a detainee saying he might have seen him in Afghanistan earlier this year, we can’t confirm that?
Gates: No."

You can watch the complete interview with Gates and Secretary Clinton Sunday on "This Week."