Bin Laden may not be captured alive, hints Blair

War on terrorism: Tactics

The Prime Minister hinted for the first time that he expected Osama bin Laden to be killed in military action in Afghanistan.

Mr Blair told The Daily Telegraph in an interview that it was unlikely that Mr bin Laden would stand trial for the 11 September atrocities.

"He is well protected and well armed," Mr Blair said. "And I have always thought it unlikely that he will be turning up in court one day, but we will wait and see." He also acknowledged that bringing Mr bin Laden before an international court was a "bit of an academic question".

Meanwhile, the deployment of British forces in Afghanistan has been delayed by a dispute between Navy and Army chiefs and concern about the scale of the operation, Whitehall sources say. And there are fears about the Middle Eastern reaction because Britain wants to have a land base in Oman for the Afghan operation.

One of the main points of debate appears to be whether Royal Marines or Army paratroopers would provide protection for special forces. Ministers are said to be apprehensive about the size of the task force the military is demanding after consultation with US counterparts.

One of the military plans put before Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, calls for the deployment of a task force of almost 4,000 troops, including 1,000 Royal Marines for combat, and six warships. The strategists want not one, but two helicopter carriers, with the carrier HMS Illustrious being stripped of its fixed-wing aircraft to take on helicopters. She would join HMS Ocean, a specialised helicopter carrier and the Navy's largest ship.

More than 20,000 British service personnel are in Oman for a large-scale training operation, Exercise Saif Sareea II. Oman, on the tip of the Gulf, would make an ideal bridgehead for Operation Veritas, the British end of Operation Enduring Freedom. But the Omanis are said to be unhappy about being used as a launchpad for attacks on another Muslim country.

Mr Hoon will fly to Oman today for talks with Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and his advisers. The Defence Secretary's announcement on details of the makeup of British UK ground forces may be put off until he returns.

In the background of the inter-service disagreements is the former Chief of the Defence Staff, Lord Charles Guthrie, who is known to be close to the Prime Minister and believed to be playing an important role.

Two weeks ago, The Independent disclosed that Lord Guthrie has been advising Downing Street. Senior Ministry of Defence officials said he was simply carrying messages from Tony Blair to Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf. One added: "He just happens to be friends with two powerful rulers, one of whom happens to be a dictator [General Musharraf]."

Since then, Lord Guthrie's role has been widely publicised and political and defence sources said he is in almost daily phone contact with Mr Blair. One political and defence source said: "He gives a wide range of suggestions from military to geopolitical matters to a receptive ear. No doubt his advice has been sought on force protection matters and he is, of course, ex-SAS and an Army man."

Lord Guthrie's successor, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, is said to be pushing for the Navy's Royal Marines. He hinted a week ago that the 3 Commando Brigade will play a crucial role in Britain's contribution to the ground campaign as the country's principal winter warfare troops. In a joint press conference with Mr Hoon yesterday, he stressed again that specialist forces would be able to operate against the Taliban and al-Qa'ida through the bitter Afghan winter. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh, the head of the Royal Navy, is also extremely well regarded by Whitehall.

While the politicians and military chiefs hammer out their game plan, there is considerable anxiety among other senior and middle-ranking officers about the timing. Both the Afghan winter and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan start in the middle of November.