I don't think that's entirely it. It's true that they could have easily killed him, but that might have touched off a much wider-spread insurrection, in a location where the geography gives locals advantages in a guerilla-style approach to resistance. The choice then becomes, "Get involved in a domestic quagmire," or, "Carpet bomb conservation areas and natural wonders."

Maybe inaccessible is the wrong word. Less-accessible? And big. Lots of ground to cover, even when you have an AF base nearby.