Bin Laden’s trail

The week's news at a glance.

Guantanamo Bay

One of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay personally helped Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora in December 2001, according to a Pentagon document released last week. It was the first official confirmation that bin Laden was actually in Tora Bora when allied forces closed in. During last year’s presidential campaign, Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush of letting bin Laden escape from his hideout. Bush said that military leaders “don’t know to this day” whether the al Qaida leader was actually there. But in a document released through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Pentagon says it has been holding a bin Laden bodyguard who “assisted in the escape of Osama bin Laden from Tora Bora.” Officials refused to provide any other information, saying it was classified.

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