Ears to the Ground

The hunt for bin Laden is going to take what the U.S. does least well: dirty, diligent human spying

To take out Osama bin Laden with a search-and-destroy mission, you have just a few minutes to find, identify and attack. How do you locate one man--one wary, mobile guerrilla--amid the trackless peaks and chasms of Afghanistan? He's protected by caves and safe houses and ultraloyal bodyguards. He travels with a few aides he has known for life, in vehicles that change daily, perhaps with a decoy double nearby. You've got eyes in the sky scanning every rocky quadrant, and those satellites can see trucks and buildings and moving people--but they can't pick out his face. Technology might get you close,...

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