Pakistan Says It 'missed chance' of Capturing Al Qaeda #2 Zawahri

Dammit. There aren't many specifics that the Pakistanis gave of how they missed a chance at nabbing Al Qaeda's #2 leader but here's what they did say from the report at Reuters:

Malik told a news conference Zawahri was moving between Pakistan's tribal areas and the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Paktia.
"We certainly had traced him at one place, but we missed the chance. So he's moving in Mohmand and, of course, sometimes in Kunar, mostly in Kunar and Paktia," he said.

The Pakistani spokesman also detailed why it has been so tough to apprehend both Zawahri and bin Laden:

Malik said Pakistani Taliban were working hand in glove with al Qaeda, providing them with shelter and acting as their mouthpiece.
"They have not only connections, I would say Tehrik-e-Taliban is an extension of al Qaeda," he said, referring to a Pakistani Taliban umbrella group which authorities blame for a string of bomb attacks over the past year that have killed hundreds of people.

Although this is damned disappointing that the Pakis missed this chance at Zawahri, it is encouraging to know that he is busy moving from province to province. That shows to me that he is a bit nervous of those U.S. and NATO predators flying about Pakistan and also, it appears that he might be moving further east to avoid those areas of the NWFP that the coalition air strikes have been targeting.

If the Pakistani government continues their operations in the NWFP after Ramadan and we see more ane more U.S. predator and air strikes in the area against al Qaeda, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Zawahiri get boxed into just one or maybe two provinces. Then it becomes a matter of squeezing those areas a bit.

I simply cannot wait til this pig breathes his last breath on this planet.

Pakistan "missed chance" to catch al Qaeda deputy

ISLAMABAD, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces missed a chance to catch al Qaeda second in command Ayman al Zawahri, the government's senior Interior Ministry official said on Monday.
Zawahri and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden have been in hiding since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and are both believed to be in ethnic Pashtun tribal lands that straddle northwest Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Rehman Malik did not say when security forces had missed the chance to catch Zawahri or give any more detail about the incident. He also did not say where bin Laden might be.
Malik told a news conference Zawahri was moving between Pakistan's tribal areas and the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Paktia.
"We certainly had traced him at one place, but we missed the chance. So he's moving in Mohmand and, of course, sometimes in Kunar, mostly in Kunar and Paktia," he said.
Mohmand is one of seven Pakistani tribal regions where Malik said both Zawahri and his wife had been.
Malik said Pakistani Taliban were working hand in glove with al Qaeda, providing them with shelter and acting as their mouthpiece.
"They have not only connections, I would say Tehrik-e-Taliban is an extension of al Qaeda," he said, referring to a Pakistani Taliban umbrella group which authorities blame for a string of bomb attacks over the past year that have killed hundreds of people.