(AKI) - Osama bin Laden is alive and well and continues to lead the activities of al-Qaeda, according to one of his Afghan lieutenants, Mustafa Abu al-Zayd. But there is continuing uncertainty surrounding America's number one enemy and considerable debate in the Middle East, in particular, over whether the man who appeared in an Internet video in September was actually bin Laden.Bin Laden's son recently said that it was not his father who appeared in the video distributed on the worldwide web to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. Sources quoted in the Arab media have also questioned whether bin Laden is still alive. "The uncertainty about the issue of Osama is great but behind such ambiguity are the Taliban leaders who are giving the al-Qaeda leader their hospitality," said the Kuwaiti daily, Al Rai Al-Amn. "It is only through a low profile that Osama could possibly escape the electronic surveillance of the Americans and become an immediate missile target."
According to the Kuwaiti daily, a group of Arab Afghanis based in Waziristan, on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, was protecting bin Laden and the activities of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The paper said the region was divided into two zones - the first under the Pakistani government that offered support to tribal leaders in exchange for their respect for Pakistani institutions, while the second was inhabited by Pashtu tribes that supported Sharia law and promoted hostility to the West.
It said al-Qaeda's number two, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri who generously makes declarations after every significant event was probably living in a populated area where technology was available.
In an audio message distributed this week on Islamic sites and translated from Pashtu this week, Mustafa Abu al-Zayd said bin Laden was still the leader of the global terrorist organisation. "The Sheikh Osama Bin Laden is alive and well," said al-Zayd. "He is still the leader of al-Qaeda and continues to direct its activities and is in good physical condition."
Al-Zayd launched an appeal to support guerillas in Afghanistan. " I invite all Muslims wherever they are in the world to unite in resistance," he said. "All you who suffer in your hearts....for this you should come and fight for the independence of Afghanistan."