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Bill Hemmer: Mullah Omar remains at large

CNN's Bill Hemmer reports from Kandahar on Saturday.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A senior trainer of the al Qaeda terrorist network is now in the hands of U.S. military officials.

CNN Correspondent Bill Hemmer filed a report from Kandahar on Saturday where the detainee is being held.

BILL HEMMER: The latest detainee's name is Ibn Al-Shaykh al-Libi. According to the White House, he was one of the 12 most wanted al Qaeda leaders.

He is here now at the Kandahar facility. Originally from Libya, his assets [were] frozen back in September by the White House. What we're being told right now, of 275 detainees, al-Libi is [being held] separate from the others.

Sources indicate that [U.S. military officials] do not want him to have any contact with the other detainees being held in Kandahar. This would be an intelligence coup if they could get him to talk.

Two main questions are: What's happening with al Qaeda leadership and the network here in Afghanistan, and what's happening in other parts of the world with regard to al Qaeda and possible plans for that organization?

The second [question concerns] the hunt for Mullah Mohammed Omar. [Is he] still on the run? Who knows where he is at this point? Some reports indicate he may [be] in northern Helmand Province. Here in Kandahar local officials indicate he could be in Helmand [or] Kandahar Province. It's anybody's guess right now.

A spokesperson for the foreign minister [for] the interim Afghan government up in Kabul [said] it is a wide-open picture for Omar.

Throughout the week we've been trying to track the rumors and the reports. It seems like every day, if not every hour, the reports and rumors change. ...

One final note, [Islamabad turned over] Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan. He's back in [Afghanistan] right now. We anticipate the high possibility that U.S. authorities will have their hands on him very soon.

That's it from Kandahar.