Posted on 12/22/2001 10:57:44 AM PST by truthandlife
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday there is a strong possibility that Osama bin Laden was killed in U.S. bombing of the Tora Bora mountains in eastern Afghanistan.
``There is the great possibility that he may have lost his life there,'' Musharraf told China's state television in an interview.
``Maybe he is dead because of all the operations that have been conducted, the bombardment of all the caves that have been conducted,'' said Musharraf, who was on a visit to China.
He said Pakistan was still keeping a close watch on its border with Afghanistan and that if bin Laden was found he would be handed over to the Americans.
Washington, which accuses bin Laden of masterminding the September 11 attacks on the United States, launched heavy bombing raids on Tora Bora this month and destroyed a stronghold of bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Many al Qaeda fighters fled toward the nearby Pakistan border and some were arrested by Pakistani security forces, but there has been no sign of bin Laden.
The United States has said it does not know his whereabouts but has vowed to pursue him until he is captured or killed.
Asked if Pakistan would hand over bin Laden to the United States if he was found in the country, Musharraf said: ``Yes, we will certainly hand him over. He is not in Pakistan, that we are reasonably sure, but we can't be 100 percent sure.
``And if he does enter, if we identify him, he will be handed over.''
Musharraf said Pakistani soldiers had sealed off eight high, and now snow-covered, passes from Tora Bora into Pakistan.
On Friday, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, declined to speculate on whether bin Laden were dead.
``I don't know where he is. I'd rather not speculate if he's alive,'' Myers said.
Washington put a $25 million bounty on bin Laden's head for the September 11 attacks which killed more than 3,000 people.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that U.S. bombs had driven hundreds of al Qaeda fighters from their hideouts, leaving a potential treasure of intelligence information.
He said U.S. troops had begun searching the cave network in the Tora Bora mountains and that more U.S. and allied forces would be sent to hunt for guerrillas and intelligence.
Dozens of U.S. special forces soldiers have been in the Tora Bora region for several weeks, helping anti-Taliban Afghan fighters and directing air strikes against caves and tunnels.
I would think that if bin laden had escaped, that we would have heard from him by now. At the very least, one of his followers would have gloated about it.
Hey! Speak for yourself there...
As long as that 25 million dollar reward is still in effect, I'd love to catch him in MY neck of the woods!
Tap him on the forehead, center high with a 9mm, lay the gun on the counter and wait for the donut patrol with your hands up...
Easy money for doing the right thing. A winning combo.
Tap him fersure...empty the clip into him, then use the empty pistol like a hammer till the fuzz shows.
A friend of mine was asked at his suspension hearing "Why did you shoot him 10 times?" His reply? "Because I didn't have 11 bullets." My friend was a State Trooper being investigated for killing a drugged out 300 LB previously convicted drug dealer who was known to commit violence toward cops....dark road, he was alone, the suspect had first emptied his shot gun at my trooper buddy...He should have received a marksmanship medal cause every shot hit...instead once cleared, he resigned...
I can think of a few areas I'd aim for first. As I recall, the award is "dead or alive". There is nothing in the "fine print" about how long it takes Osama to die, or how much he suffers.
Lest anyone accuse me of being a "vigilante", I would call the police, but keep in mind that I've been having some trouble with my telephone so it could take awhile before the call gets through.
If OBL is dead, then that is mainly a consequence of his excessive attachment to a large, warlord-style entourage. He could easily have slipped away in a private car at any time during the buildup to our assault; there was no reason to make himself Predator bait. Here's hoping he was that vain and that stupid.
Well, you pop Osama in the head to make sure that his brain gets scrambled.
But you don't want to do anything to make ID'ing him take a second longer than is necessary. Jail cells are unpleasant places to stay, even when you're waiting to become a millionaire.
And, after all, Living Well is the best revenge of all.
The minute Bin Laden pokes his head out and tells the world he is alive ...we bomb the crap out of him..
I ran this through "Babelfish" and got:
"OH ***! PLEASE DON"T KILL US!!! ****! PLEASE DON'T KILL US!!!"
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