Translated Text of French Newspaper Report of Bin Laden's Death

L'Est Republicain ( France ) ^ | September 23, 2006 | Laïd Sammari ( translated by self )

[StJacques]

Osama Bin Laden Could be Dead

The Saudi secret services have come to believe that the founder of Al Qaeda is dead.

If it is confirmed soon, the information has arrived in the nick of time for American President George Bush, seriously abused by public opinion polls with less than two months before the elections

The information which we reveal today results from an intelligence note classified "Defense Confidential" emanating from the General Directorate of External Services (DGSE).¹ The French secret services have passed it on to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and to the Interior Minister of Defense on Thursday, September 21st. We are going to deliver its contents in extensive detail:

"According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi secret services have come to believe henceforth that Osama Bin Laden is dead. The facts collected by the Saudis indicate that the head of Al Qaeda would have been the victim, during the time he was in Pakistan, on the 23rd of August 2006, of a very strong bout of typhus which involved a partial paralysis of his lower limbs. His geographical isolation, caused by permanent flight, would have rendered any medical treatment impossible. On September 4, 2006, the Saudi secret services collected the first information making his death known. They would have waited to obtain more details, and in particular the exact place of his burial, to announce the news officially."

The information collected by the DGSE on the death of Bin Laden was judged sufficiently reliable for them to decide to inform the highest French authorities. A first note had been written and circulated last September 19th entitled "The Saudi secret services are looking to confirm the death of Osama Bin Laden."

Before the disclosure of this news, it had been more than three years since Americans responsible for counter-terrorism had received credible information. It is necessary to go back to the arrest of one of the leaders of Al Qaeda, Walid Mohammed Ben Attash in April 2003, to find a trace of Bin Laden. It had then been established that the latter had met the spiritual head of Jihad, three months previously, in the province of Khost in Afghanistan. These last months, American commandos, who are in charge of tracking him, have concentrated their search on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the north of the tribal regions. This is to say within the region not controlled by the authorities in Islamabad and where the [Pakistani] army never ventures. It is worth noting that the Pakistani military recorded enormous losses of men when they attempted to occupy the terrain in 2004 and 2005.

644 deaths

In spite of the enormous means deployed by the Americans for the capture of Bin Laden, the search became vain. And this, in spite of the use of satellites, of [reconnaisance] drones and sophisticated listening means. Thanks to the arrest of many members of the nebulous Al Qaeda, the American services know that Ben Laden was left with few hiding places. He only came out at night and when cloud cover was heavy. And thanks to local troops, the Saudi millionaire has a very good knowledge of the region which offers an infinite number of hideouts.

Despite the impossible search, the American administration never wanted to give up. "It is our first priority" Vice President Cheney declared last September 13th. Whereas the Senate appropriated 200 million dollars to create anew an information network specifically targeting the tracking of those of September 11th who dared to defy America. And whose organization [i.e. Al Qaeda] claims responsibility for the commission of 16 attacks, having caused 644 deaths and 2700 wounded, perpetrated throughout the world in the name of Al Qaeda since September 2001. The organization became a mark, a lable, an ideological reference in the name of which thousands of fanatics throughout the world are ready to commit terrorist acts autonomously. Like the authors of the attacks of July 7, 2005 in London.

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Translator's Note:

¹ The agency is referred to somewhat inaccurately. The DGSE is the acronym for the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, or the "General Directorate for External Security." It is the principal French intelligence agency, subordinate to the French ministry of Defense.

  

[StJacques]

I have no way of vouching for the authenticity of the report, but it occurred to me that my fellow Freepers might want to read the original.

[StJacques]

A ping for Founding Father here.

To everyone else arriving; I know that we have many Freepers who are tracking key threads with special unique keywords. I would appreciate it if you would examine those keywords I have already included and add those which may help this article to get a wider read.

And I also would appreciate it if those interested Freepers who regularly track the War on Terror could be pinged.

Thank you.

[Obadiah]

Personally I think the French are aiding Osama by trying to convince the world he's dead. With an international manhunt on him along with a $50 million dollar bounty, who benefits by having the world think he's dead? Wouldn't put it past the French if there's a money deal in it.

[FreePaul]

The Saudi secret services have come to believe that the founder of Al Qaeda is dead.

The checks he's been sending to them started bouncing?

[hoosiermama]

You want to check out the translation?

[StJacques]

"Personally I think the French are aiding Osama by trying to convince the world he's dead."

I cannot discount the possibility that someone within the French intelligence community has fabricated this story, but I do want to point out that this particular newspaper is not pro-Chirac. They are of the opposition and, if anything, they may be trying to charge Chirac with concealing reports of Bin Laden's death.

And Chirac has come out publicly and stated that he does not believe the report of Bin Laden's death.

[conservative in nyc]

Thanks for the translation. The Babel Fish translation was making its usual nonsense in some places.

[Obadiah]

Good point. Thanks.

[ozzymandus]

I'm afraid it's too good to be true. Anyway, I wanted to see a picture of a US Army Ranger holding Binny's head.

[stultorum]

I think that if OBL is dead is good for America. Afterall, we wanted him dead. If he's not dead yet, he's an irrelevant figure in the WoT.

[Qout]

More likely they are trying to spoil the timing on Rove's October surprise.

[Founding Father]

Pinged per your request. Thanks for your translation efforts and making FR a better place!

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Thanks for the ping:)

[snowsislander]

Thank you for your translation.

[xzins]

The facts collected by the Saudis indicate that the head of Al Qaeda would have been the victim, during the time he was in Pakistan, on the 23rd of August 2006, of a very strong bout of typhus which involved a partial paralysis of his lower limbs. His geographical isolation, caused by permanent flight, would have rendered any medical treatment impossible.

If found to be true, this is a "kill" for the Special Ops forces and President Bush who kept this man on the run hiding in caves in the most remote regions of the earth.

Without doctors, hospitals, medicines, etc., bin Laden would have succumbed, AND it would have been the result of the posse close on his trail.

[Gondring]

ping