Anaconda commander says coalition forces won't let up

SUMMARY:

The commander of Operation Anaconda said Thursday his forces were not finished searching for pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan and warned al Qaeda leaders to "sleep with one eye open."

Maj. Gen. Frank L. Hagenbeck said intelligence reports and some 20 detainees had provided good information on the locations of al Qaeda pockets in the area of operation and elsewhere.

Hagenbeck said U.S., allied and Afghan forces had searched caves and found bomb devices as well as manuals on how to attack individuals in cars and how to blow up bridges.

Coalition and Afghan forces gained control of the Shah-e-kot Valley and surrounding high ground Wednesday.

Anaconda, which began almost two weeks ago, "will be over when our bosses tell us to go home," he said. (Full story)

Summary Update Key questions Who's who  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

UPDATE:

U.S. military and intelligence continue to track leads about the locations of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar but still do not know exactly where the two are hiding, officials said. They said an area at the Afghan-Pakistan border directly east of Kandahar, the former Taliban stronghold, is of particular interest. One official described the area as a "potential escape route" that is being watched. (Full story)

The United States has made progress on the criteria for military tribunals to review Afghan war detainee cases, the Pentagon said Thursday. Spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said 244 detainees are in U.S. custody in Afghanistan and 300 at the U.S. Navy base at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba.

The U.S. Navy has awarded a posthumous Bronze Star medal to the Navy SEAL -- Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, 32 -- who was killed by al Qaeda forces after he was knocked out of his helicopter in the opening phase of Operation Anaconda. (Full story)

President Bush has ordered Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Attorney General John Ashcroft to "get to the bottom of" the government's approval of student visas for two hijackers in the September 11 attacks, an aide said Wednesday. A Florida flight school received the visa approval forms Monday -- six months after the attacks. (Full story)

Search crews recovered the remains of three firefighters Wednesday from the debris of the World Trade Center, a New York Fire Department spokesman said. Since Tuesday, the remains of 14 firefighters and three civilians have been recovered. (Full story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Will the war on terror result in nuclear weapons proliferation?

Does Operation Anaconda represent al Qaeda's final stand?

Will the United States need to send more troops to Afghanistan?

WHO'S WHO:

Osama bin Laden: Saudi Arabian-born leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network who is accused of masterminding the September 11 strikes on the United States.

George W. Bush: U.S. president