Al Qaeda money man could be in custody

U.S. helping train Afghan national army

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday that Pakistani authorities have apprehended a number of people who could be al Qaeda officials.

"I believe it is correct that some additional detainees have been taken," Rumsfeld said in response to a question about recent Pakistani military sweeps.

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Rumsfeld, speaking at a Defense Department news conference, said it is hard to know the identities of the detainees, one of whom is reported to be a top al Qaeda finance official.

Because "there's so much lying and disinformation and so many aliases," Rumsfeld said, the identities of the men cannot be confirmed.

As for Osama bin Laden, the head of al Qaeda, Rumsfeld said he had not heard about him since December.

"He is either dead, which is fine from our standpoint, or he is alive and for some reason decides he does not want to live up to his reputation as enjoying going on videos, and letting the world know he is alive."

Rumsfeld also said the United States is helping to train a new Afghan national army.

He called it a force "committed not to one group or faction, but to the defense of the entire nation -- which we hope will allow Afghans to take responsibility for their own security rather than relying on foreign forces."