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| Afghanistan |
| Bin Laden said to be in border region |
| 2003-03-06 |
| Osama bin Laden is alive, in good health and living in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the suspected No. 3 al-Qaida leader told his interrogators after being captured last weekend, a Pakistani intelligence official said today. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed said he met with bin Laden in recent weeks using a complicated network of phone calls, runners and intermediaries to line up the visit. The meeting took place in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province or in the rugged mountain peaks that run along the border with Afghanistan. Mohammed said he didn't know bin Laden's exact whereabouts now, but that he was in the region. I think we've been mostly looking for him in NWFP or in Kunar province in Afghanistan... In what appeared to corroborate Mohammed's information, the Associated Press received similar information on Monday from a former Taliban intelligence chief. In a telephone interview from Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, the former intelligence chief said bin Laden was seen in South Waziristan in Baluchistan province less than two months ago. Bin Laden was meeting with Taliban members, he said. His report could not be independently verified, but both U.S Special Forces and Pakistani soldiers are in South Waziristan trying to flush out fugitive Taliban and al-Qaida. Several sources say that bin Laden moves with only a small number of guards, changing his location nightly, never using satellite telephones. Instead he reportedly sends messages through intermediaries to a selected person who makes telephone calls on his behalf. Another intelligence official earlier told the AP that a raid was carried out on a house in Wana in South Waziristan earlier this year after a tip was received that bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, was there. The raid led to the arrest of some Afghan Taliban, but not al-Zawahri. I think that with evidence Binny is actually still alive, we'll be looking for him harder now, and maybe the Paks will, too... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #9 If captured he should be put on internationally televised trial.This would send the message"you can run,you can hide.But we will get you,we will not relent.No matter the cost,no matter how much time it takes your days are severly limited. As a side issue,I caught a news snippet the other day saying John W.Lindh Taliboy par exedunce had got his butt thumped in prison. That brought on a smile. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-03-07 06:52:17 |
| #8 Osama captured would certainly be an outstanding development. As would the elimination of Saad bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, al-Adel, Mr. Mauritania, and any number of other shadowy figures who make up al-Qaeda's Shura Majlis, its board of directors. While I would love to see the bastard's ass pinned to the wall, but KSM's capture is good enough for the time being. IMO, the most likely destination for Osama is Iran. His son and heir apparent was sited there recently and I can easily see the ayatollahs giving him safe haven. I tried to argue this point back in November 2002 but got shouted down wherever I brought it up because I dared to offer the possibility that bin Laden was alive. All the stuff about elaborate conspiracies and CIA plots always struck me as the work of people who have seen way too many spy movies. In any case, Iran continues to harbor any number of al-Qaeda (at least 600, per their "deportation" figures) and should be the next stop after the Baathist regime in Baghdad is destroyed, followed by our "good friends" the Saudis. I ultimately think that the twin ideologies of Wahhabism and Khomeinism are the most responsible for the wave of Islamic terrorism our planet has been experiencing in some form or another ever since the Ottoman Empire fell. |
| Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-03-07 00:13:00 |
| #7 Maybe Binny is more useful being alive and on the lam. Keep him boxed in, like a rook fencing in a king to wander in a small area of a chessboard. He is a liability to any country that hosts him. Just an evil and practical thought.... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-06 19:05:40 |
| #6 Unfortunately, sending him to Gitmo would also send a powerful message to a bunch of people who don't approve of the fact that the US fights back. We'd be hearing "Ok, war's over". If they catch him, or if he's dead, I hope we (and they)do not hear about it! |
| Posted by: Kathy K 2003-03-06 18:03:50 |
| #5 Yeah, OBL is like the President of a corporation. KSM was the CEO, and knows more. Still, sending him to Gitmo would send a powerful message to the others there... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-03-06 17:08:50 |
| #4 Dan and Anon - agreed - but I'd still like to see this piece of s*&t in Bagram, then on his way to the sunny Caribbean if for no other reason than to do some justice and send a message. I don't think OBL is important other than for symbolic reasons, he doesn't know more than KSM. I think KSM's capture would cause some anxiety and possibly forcing these guys to be on the move - that'll make it easier to snag 'em |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-03-06 16:44:09 |
| #3 Frank ---Contingency Plan if we get the bastard alive: I will make ham sandwiches for all interregators and subject. Got to keep his strength up. In all seriousness, if we get him, great. But our great task is to go for the money, and that goes thru Iraq, Iran, and Saudi. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-06 14:31:25 |
| #2 Per the BBC and FNC, the bin Laden capture rumor is bunk. |
| Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-03-06 14:27:26 |
| #1 Ok - it's 3rd hand, but...Drudge is reporting that the Jerusalem Post is reporting that Bush's news conference tonight will be to announce the capture of Bin Laden. There's too much traffic to the JPost right now to confirm - the front page isn't loading right |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-03-06 14:03:38 |