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Bill Hemmer: The search for Omar

CNN Correspondent Bill Hemmer

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Special Forces and anti-Taliban Afghan fighters are stepping up efforts to root out remaining Taliban fighters as well as searching for Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

CNN Correspondent Bill Hemmer is following the events and filed this report from Kandahar on Wednesday.

HEMMER: Here is what I am hearing from some of the Special Forces members gathered throughout the International Airport in Kandahar. Specifically, some of the Green Berets are telling me this: They are concerned that there are not enough Special Forces on the ground in northern Helmand province to potentially look for the Taliban founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Now, they do confirm that there are groups of about a dozen working in that area, possibly looking for the Taliban founder. And we also know, according to the local governor here in Kandahar, that about 1,500 loyal Taliban fighters are surrounding that area. We're talking about a town called Baghran.

Now, a few days ago when the governor was on the grounds of the airport, he indicated that he had given a deadline of five days for those fighters to turn in their weapons and concede their fight. Now, we don't have much more to tell you about that, only that the deadline is out there. There are indications that some, indeed, are giving in and turning over their weapons, but no indications that a massive amount of turnover is happening right now.

But again, the frustration does continue for some Special Forces members. Certainly they'd like to get into the game when it comes to looking for Mullah Mohammed Omar. Some indicate that in the Tora Bora region, Osama bin Laden may have escaped the noose because there were not enough Special Forces on the ground. But again, this is what they are saying, and certainly the Pentagon may have a different view and opinion on that matter.

On a different front, we've talked about pockets of resistance. We are told that, you know, various parts of Afghanistan still feature some al Qaeda fighters and certainly some Taliban fighters. And in the central part of Kandahar last night, four suspected Taliban fighters were sleeping, holed up inside of a building. The anti-Taliban troops had circled that building. A firefight ensued. In the end, all four were taken into custody. We are told they're being held by police in Kandahar and right now are being detained for questioning.

We have watched this base grow up over the past two weeks. Significant numbers of Air Force personnel and Army personnel have come to the airport. In fact, we saw a new unit from the U.S. Army, the CID -- the Criminal Investigation Division. They are here specifically to investigate some of the evidence that's been gathered from some of the detainees. The Army takes care of these matters in the time of war.

And the word we're getting is that if there is evidence that suggests some of the detainees may be linked to terrorist activity, that evidence then would be gathered, collected and investigated, and possibly later prosecuted then in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The detainee list (is up to) 225 right now, 25 more brought in last night from Pakistan. And what's interesting about this group is that apparently they just run the spectrum when it comes to countries around the world. We heard one source today indicating that as he walks through the camp, he hears so many different languages almost on a daily basis, and not just Arabic. He talks about German and French and Russian, and in his words, there's a lot of cats and dogs inside there.

One other note, the Marines paid honor to one of their own. You might remember in early December there was a corporal who was helping to clear the area for mines. His name is Cpl. C.T. Chandler. He lost his leg at the south end of the runway, and today, there's a firing range that opened up. They honored Cpl. Chandler with a plaque there, revealing his name and dedicating that part of the airport to him as he recovers at a hospital in Washington, D.C.