Political Crossfire Forums

ChuckBerry · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 2396 Location: Lafayette, LA

Quote:
PARIS - A French regional newspaper quoted a French secret service report on Saturday as saying that Saudi Arabia is convinced that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan last month.

L’Est Republicain printed what it said was a copy of the report dated Sept. 21 and said it was shown to President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and France’s interior and defense ministers on the same day.

“According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead,” the document said.

“The information gathered by the Saudis indicates that the head of al-Qaida was a victim while he was in Pakistan on Aug. 23, 2006, of a very serious case of typhoid which led to a partial paralysis of his internal organs.”

The report, which was stamped with a “confidential defense” label and the initials of the French secret service, said Saudi Arabia first heard the information on Sept. 4 and that it was waiting for more details before making an official announcement.

Officials contacted by Reuters in Chirac’s and Villepin’s offices had no immediate comment.

A senior official in Pakistan’s interior ministry said: “We have no information about Osama’s death.”

Saudi-born Bin Laden was based in Afghanistan until the Taliban government there was overthrown by U.S.-backed forces in late 2001. Since then, U.S. and Pakistani officials have regularly said they believe he is hiding somewhere on the rugged border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The last videotaped message released by bin Laden was in late 2004, but there have been several low quality audio tapes released this year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14963302/

What do you think? Dead is dead I guess, so I really wouldn't care if we got him or if Mother Nature caught up to him first. But reports like this seem a little shaky. I guess we'll get more later.....

Limey Boosk · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 183 Location: Yorkshire, England

I hope he is dead. If he is, I bet his friends have torched his body. Hitler did the same.

No body for America and the nutcase Islamists can create the myth that he is still living and waging a war against the infidel. A bit like Elvis.

lilwolf · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 14180 Location: idaho

Limey Boosk wrote: I hope he is dead. If he is, I bet his friends have torched his body. Hitler did the same.

No body for America and the nutcase Islamists can create the myth that he is still living and waging a war against the infidel. A bit like Elvis.

That unfortunately is more than likeyl what is going to happen here. I don't know about the typhoid thing, but there have been all kinds of stories from the afghanies about him being killed at Tora Bora and also being killed in a rock slide near Mazar E Shariff. I doubt that we will ever know. But at least we may never get to say:

Usama has left the building....... :lol:

sfcwoodret · Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Posts: 407

The only thing Bin Laden is worth right now is a re-election vote for the GOP.

lilwolf · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 14180 Location: idaho

sfcwoodret wrote: The only thing Bin Laden is worth right now is a re-election vote for the GOP.

In your thinking okay, but he is worth more to the terrorist organizations than anything else.

Fido · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 3936

Did you know that every one on this earth has at this moment one or more oxygen atoms that were once in the lungs of Jesus Christ, and without any noticeable increase in holiness. Bin Ladin is dead, and I can smell the stench; but if the U.S. takes note of it, it will not be at any other time than when it is politically most opportune. What is the point of intelligence if it is not used intelligently, and if that does not mean getting what you want, invading where you will, killing who you want, or getting elected; what could be better? The terrorists we made yesterday are passe, and now we must look to the ones we will make tomorrow. Too bad they are so numerous that our intelligence when spread so thin really looks quite dim.

dreamz · Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 50 Location: sunny England

With George Bush still looking for him.

Politics always seems like a big pantomime to me these days and you're never really sure who the real villains are.

Fido · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 3936

dreamz wrote: With George Bush still looking for him.

Politics always seems like a big pantomime to me these days and you're never really sure who the real villains are.

Follow the money and find the filth. If there were not money in crime people wouldn't do it. Like willy said: that's where the money is. People like Bin Ladin are just amateurs. They think a little more death is going to change something. Well, more people are dead, and it is the same old crap. If violence were any kind of solution you could buy it wholesale, or in big lots like toilet paper. I guess it is like toilet paper. It has to get crappy before anyone really enjoys it.

Cal-Pak · Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 1966

The true test to see if he's dead, is to wait for some tape from him.
If he is not dead, and he has heard of this story.
He will for sure put something out to let everyone know he still alive.
Even if it's a little 30 sec. blurb making a joke about Chavez calling Bush the devil.
Just so we know it's current.

If there is no word from him for a few weeks or a tape, but it not having any event specific stuff on it. It just might be true.

ChuckBerry · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 2396 Location: Lafayette, LA

I have been curious about the timing of this leak. It hit the U.S. late Friday, at the beginning of the weekend, when most news services take a break. Most U.S. politicians know that if you have some sort of bad announcement to make, you make it on Friday so that it won't get followed up on til Monday, and by then it usually gets dropped. So, I wonder why this leak hit at this time? Combine this leak with the story earlier in the week about supposed nuke attacks being readied for New York and Washington, and I wonder if the two have anything to do with each other?