Twas' beauty [that] killed the beast.
Posted on 08/30/2002 7:04:48 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
.c The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - Pakistan's security officials believe Osama bin Laden was probably killed in a U.S. air strike on al Qaida's mountain fortress in eastern Afghanistan last year, a British newspaper reported Friday.
Senior Pakistani officials said bin Laden was unlikely to have survived the intense U.S. air bombardment of the al Qaida Tora Bora camp in December, The Financial Times of London reported from Islamabad.
In a story posted on its Web site, the newspaper said some analysts believe the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States suffered from a serious kidney ailment at that time.
``Our assessment remains that Osama bin Laden, who was not too well when last year's terrorist attacks happened, could not have survived the attacks on Tora Bora,'' an unidentified senior Pakistani official told the newspaper.
``Even if he didn't get hit fatally, it was impossible for him to have survived, literally surrounded by scores of hostile troops with no possibility of receiving regular medical care,'' the official was quoted as saying.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has said for months that he believes bin Laden is dead but has offered no proof. However, several former Taliban figures have said they believe bin Laden slipped out of Tora Bora before the heaviest U.S. attacks.
The newspaper reported that Pakistani officials had been eager to insist bin Laden was dead after Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the anti-terror campaign might have to be extended to countries surrounding Afghanistan.
On a visit to Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Sunday, Franks told troops there was no ``convincing proof'' that bin Laden was dead.
Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that he believes bin Laden is across the border in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities dismiss such talk as speculation.
Yes! But we want to know who won the pool.
C'mon, we all read comic books here - neither the hero nor the bad guy is really dead unless you got a body; and even then, it's gotta be cold and in the ground! Anything else means that Dr. Doom can come back!
And that Daisy Cutters can be, too ;^)
This is just more of the same old crystal ball gazing and speculation.
He'll then scoot on over to Iran, Sudan, North Korea, etc.
Yadda yadda yadda
Who do you believe? The bottom line is until we have some form of proof of his death we have to accept that he is alive. If we accept the assumption of his death our limp wristed politicians will punch so many holes in our national defense that 911 could become just a preliminary.
In either case, his followers will continue until we stop them. So in essence, and for the sake of national security I, personally, don't care what his biological condition is. Islam and the Koran have been exposed. The genie is out of the bag and Osammy has become a side note.
Osama is in Kunar, but the US can't get him
Is he dead or alive? What does President Bush know and when did he know it?
ROFL
But look at how many times Al Queda has promised a video, and not delivered (or delivered with ancient bin Laden reruns)?
Also, look at the dramatic decline in quality of attacks after the Trade Center success. The shoe bomber and July 4th El Al attack were laughable.
Bin Laden knows (if he's alive) how much impact a video of him would have on his enemies. There is no video, therefore there is no bin Laden. That's pretty simple, no?
D
Twas' beauty [that] killed the beast.
Me too.
In fact, I've become downright convinced of it.
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