The former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says the U.S. still has no intelligence on the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The official, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, told CNN, “The intelligence has gone cold on Osama bin Laden.” His comments came as Defense Secretary Robert Gates was visiting the region. On Monday, Gates met with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Gates vowed U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan indefinitely.

Robert Gates: “After the Soviets left, the United States made a mistake. We neglected Afghanistan, and extremism took control of that country. The United States paid a price for that on September 11, 2001. We won’t make that mistake again.”

The Pentagon is reportedly planning a spring offensive against the Taliban. Meanwhile in Pakistan, four vehicles were damaged on Monday after a bomb exploded at the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross. No one was hurt.