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Rumsfeld: Holed-up enemy fighters trying to retake country

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said on Friday that the Taliban loyalists in eastern Afghanistan have ammunition and supplies hidden in caves.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the al Qaeda and Taliban fighters holed up in eastern Afghanistan were "dead-enders" who were trying to retake the country.

The troops had plenty of opportunities to leave their positions in the mountainous Shahi-kot region before the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Anaconda, Rumsfeld told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Friday.

"They stayed there and are trying to take back that country, and (trying) to throw out the interim government," he said.

Rumsfeld said it's difficult to say how many al Qaeda and Taliban troops are involved in the fight because of the extensive network of caves and tunnels in the area. They have significant amounts of ammunition and supplies stored in those caves, he said.

VIDEO CNN's Wolf Blitzer talks to U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, about Operation Anaconda (March 8) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Bad weather has limited the ability of U.S. aircraft to provide close-air support, Rumsfeld said, but the bombing is continuing.

Asked if the al Qaeda and Taliban troops will fight to the death, Rumsfeld replied, "We won't know that until they are dead." He said he would like to see them surrender, but has seen no signs that they plan to.

Rumsfeld said he was not surprised that the al Qaeda forces have put up stiff resistance.

"These are the people who took plastic knives and box cutters and flew airplanes filled with themselves, as well as American citizens, into the World Trade Center and this building you're sitting in (the Pentagon)," Rumsfeld said. "Why would one be surprised that they're determined, well-trained, clever, capable of using modern technology ... to kill people?"

He refused to say if the United States knew where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding, saying only that "wherever he is, he's not happy."

"He is not able to effectively run his safe haven in Afghanistan, and our goal was to take the Taliban government out and to make sure that Afghanistan was not a sanctuary for terrorists," Rumsfeld said.

He repeated his vow that bin Laden ultimately will be captured.