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| Osama bin Laden--his sightings, now his 'death' | | |
B L KAK
Quite expected it was: Rumoured death of Osama bin Laden the other day was followed by a mini earthquake in intelligence agencies and media circles almost throughtout the world. News stories continue to be churned out not only from Paris where a French newspaper did claim that Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan last month but also from several other countries that include the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Australia.
What difference will it make? With someone who is or has been? As elusive as Osama bin Laden, rumours of his sightings, and now his death, are bound to circulate. The latest to surface, that he died of typhoid in August, is yet another one that cannot be confirmed one way or another. Unless, of course, Osama bin Laden himself decides to surface so as to confound everyone and claim that old chestnut: "Rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated."
The question many people are asking is, will it make any difference if Bin Laden is dead? And the answer has to be "No". This is because intelligence agencies now realise that Al Qaida set up different cells in many countries, most of which seem not to know of the existence of each other. Equally, it is not only Al Qaida supporters who perpetrate terrorist acts, but also those who sympathise with their cause. Which is why, with Bin Laden alive or dead, terrorism will continue.
Saudi Arabia has reiterated that it has no evidence that Osama bin Laden had died, shedding further doubt on a secret document leaked in France that said Saudi secret services believed he had died last month. Earlier, on September 23, France and the United States said that they could not confirm the report in French regional daily L'Est Republicain which quoted France's DGSE foreign intelligence service as saying the Saudi secret services were convinced the Al Qaida leader had died of typhoid in Pakistan in late August.
Time magazine separately posted an article on its Web site citing an unidentified Saudi source, who claimed Osama bin Laden was stricken with a water-borne disease and may already be dead. The magazine said that its source claimed Saudi officials have received a number of reports in recent weeks that Bin Laden had been struck by a water-borne illness and was likely dead but had no solid proof.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington, however, issued a statement saying: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no evidence to support recent media reports that Osama bin Laden is dead. Information that has been reported otherwise is purely speculative and cannot be independently verified." US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, told reporters in New York, "No comment, no knowledge," when asked about the French article.
And a US intelligence source separately said that Washington, which has made capturing Bin Laden a priority in its war on terrorism, had no evidence the report was any more credible than earlier rumours of his demise. There was skepticism about whether Riyadh was well-placed to be the first to pick up on such a development. Some experts of the international scene hold the view that even if Saudi Arabia had information, they would pass it on to the United States, not France.
Adding weight to the Saudi rebuttal was the fact that Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al Faisal is known for his intimate ties to his country's intelligence service, which he headed for 24 years before embarking on a diplomatic career in 2002.
Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, said in Montreal that the report would be welcome if it turns out to be true. The Afghan leader was quoted as telling Radio-Canada television: "It would be a good news, but it is just speculation". In Pakistan, on the other hand, security officials have let it be known that they have an excellent relationship with Saudi intelligence but had received no information about Bin Laden's death and believed it would be “inconceivable” that an event of this magnitude would remain unnoticed in Pakistan.
Often rumored to be dead, Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding in the rugged border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Five audiotapes or Internet messages attributed to him have been released in the Muslim world so far this year. However, his last videotape was delivered to the Arab television network, Al Jazeera, in late October 2004, just days before the US presidential election, and the public has not seen any new pictures of him since.
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