Bin Laden's Hideout Crumbled in Quake?
Associated Press
Dallas Morning News , TX
___________________
Washington (United States):
Did Osama bin Laden's secret lair crumble in the earthquake that devastated northwest Pakistan?
U.S. government officials and terrorism experts caution against too much speculation about whether the al-Qaeda chief may have been killed, injured or forced from hiding.
"There's a lot of people who know that that's an obvious question" was the most Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita would say Tuesday about U.S. thinking on Mr. bin Laden's fate.
Federal officials who track terrorism said there's no evidence yet to suggest that Mr. bin Laden or his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were injured or killed in the quake.
Yet the quake has caused many in and out of government to ask, "What if?"
Mr. bin Laden has managed to avoid capture for nearly a decade, including a feverish manhunt since he ordered the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. is offering up to $25 million for information leading to his killing or capture.
He has been rumored to be taking cover anywhere from urban areas of Pakistan to remote cave structures winding along the Afghan-Pakistani border to villages in western Pakistan's lawless tribal areas.
Any of these possible hide-outs could have been at least shaken by Saturday's 7.6-magnitude quake, forcing Mr. bin Laden to move.
Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert for Rand Corp. in Washington, noted that some also theorize that he may be hiding in the disputed region of Kashmir, which is controlled by the Pakistani military and which was devastated by the temblor.
The region is difficult to move in and out of, Mr. Hoffman said, and Islamic extremist groups friendly to Mr. bin Laden have camps and operations there.
"It's enormously tempting to speculate" about Mr. bin Laden's situation, Mr. Hoffman said. But "without knowing where he is, it's impossible to say."
Rumors that Mr. bin Laden is suffering from kidney failure and requires regular medical care have persisted but never been confirmed. His deteriorating appearance in videotapes released shortly after U.S. bombing began in Afghanistan in October 2001 fueled that speculation.
In 2002, a prominent Pakistani doctor said he had treated Mr. bin Laden before and after Sept. 11.
The doctor said the terrorist leader was in excellent health and showed no signs of kidney disease or dialysis.
Bolstering that case, Mr. bin Laden appeared healthy in a video released in 2004 before the November U.S. elections.
Oct 11, 2005
Associated Press Dallas Morning News , TX
___________________
Washington (United States):
Did Osama bin Laden's secret lair crumble in the earthquake that devastated northwest Pakistan?
U.S. government officials and terrorism experts caution against too much speculation about whether the al-Qaeda chief may have been killed, injured or forced from hiding.
"There's a lot of people who know that that's an obvious question" was the most Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita would say Tuesday about U.S. thinking on Mr. bin Laden's fate.
Federal officials who track terrorism said there's no evidence yet to suggest that Mr. bin Laden or his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were injured or killed in the quake.
Yet the quake has caused many in and out of government to ask, "What if?"
Mr. bin Laden has managed to avoid capture for nearly a decade, including a feverish manhunt since he ordered the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. is offering up to $25 million for information leading to his killing or capture.
He has been rumored to be taking cover anywhere from urban areas of Pakistan to remote cave structures winding along the Afghan-Pakistani border to villages in western Pakistan's lawless tribal areas.
Any of these possible hide-outs could have been at least shaken by Saturday's 7.6-magnitude quake, forcing Mr. bin Laden to move.
Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert for Rand Corp. in Washington, noted that some also theorize that he may be hiding in the disputed region of Kashmir, which is controlled by the Pakistani military and which was devastated by the temblor.
The region is difficult to move in and out of, Mr. Hoffman said, and Islamic extremist groups friendly to Mr. bin Laden have camps and operations there.
"It's enormously tempting to speculate" about Mr. bin Laden's situation, Mr. Hoffman said. But "without knowing where he is, it's impossible to say."
Rumors that Mr. bin Laden is suffering from kidney failure and requires regular medical care have persisted but never been confirmed. His deteriorating appearance in videotapes released shortly after U.S. bombing began in Afghanistan in October 2001 fueled that speculation.
In 2002, a prominent Pakistani doctor said he had treated Mr. bin Laden before and after Sept. 11.
The doctor said the terrorist leader was in excellent health and showed no signs of kidney disease or dialysis.
Bolstering that case, Mr. bin Laden appeared healthy in a video released in 2004 before the November U.S. elections.
Oct 11, 2005
