posted 10-24-2001 09:14 PM            

10.24.01 UPDATE:
BREAKING: UNITED STATES EXCLUSIVE-JAPANESE WIRE OSAMA BIN LADEN AND ADVISOR SHOT DEAD BY OWN AFGHAN TROOPS!!

**********UNITED STATES PRESS EXCLUSIVE-MUST CREDIT AHEADNEWS.COM 2:15 PST WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2001-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED********

Japanese language wires have just reported that on October 16, 2001 Osama Bin Laden and a henchman had been shot dead by his own troops. No political reason has been given for the act, details are scarce and it is not known whether this may have been an attempt at an overthrow of the government...The Chinese and Japanese report now goes on to state that Osamas wife and son may have been shot in the shoulders and arms in the ambush which may have come from behind. It is not know whether both are dead or alive...The Chinese language wire is reporting that there may be as many as 5-9 coffins for burial in the party that ambushed Osama Bin Laden. This may include wife child and the Taliban leader himself. More updates as the situation warrants... Stay with AheadNews through the night for updates.
http://www.aheadnews.com/gary.html

-----------------------------------------------------------
Filed by AheadNews.com http://AheadNews.com for updates
(c)AheadNews.com 2001

posted 10-25-2001 01:22 AM            

Looks like another hoax.

posted 10-26-2001 10:03 AM            

quote:

---

Bin Laden, Dead?
A Chinese report says so.

By Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO Executive Editor
October 25, 2001 12:10 p.m.

James S. Robbins, a professor of international relations at the National Defense University's School for National Defense Studies & NRO contributor. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of NDU, the Department of Defense, or the government of the United States.

Kathryn Jean Lopez: There are reports on the Internet and in a Japanese newspaper that Mullah Mohammed Omar and Osama bin Laden are dead. Where are these coming from and should we have any reason to believe them — over, say, the claims of the Taliban?

James S. Robbins: On October 24 a Chinese internet news site, Zhongxin Wang, ran a piece describing in detail the purported assassination of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar by members of their retinue at an underground base near Kandahar on October 16. They were both shot twice in the back. One of bin Laden's sons and two of Omar's were also killed. The story was picked up today by the Tokyo-based Yomiuru Shimbun, the largest daily newspaper in Japan. Of course rumors and war go hand in hand, and without proof one way or another what is one to think?

...

---

posted 10-26-2001 12:15 PM            

"Shimbun" is Japanese for "newspaper". Asahi Shimbun (xlat "Rising-Sun News" and Yomiuri Shimbun are two of the largest dailies in Japan. Both are extremely credible, along the same level as the New York Times and Washington Post.

Each comes in online English-language and Japanese-language versions. I certainly can't make heads or tails of the Japanese one; even if my Japanese speaking were better, the Kanji alphabet is out of the question.

I noticed that the blurb quoted the Japanese language version of Yomiuri and the Chinese language version of the cited Chinese papers. It would seem to me that any story as potentially as big as the death of bin Laden and Mullah Omar would be one of the first things put in the English-language versions of the papers -- hey, can you imagine how valuable that scoop would be?) -- and when it wasn't, I began to be suspicious.

My guess (and this is only a guess) is that the story was made up of whole cloth and the fact that they cited just the foreign-language versions of the paper would make the whole hoax (if that's what it was) harder to debunk.

Needless to say, nothing ever came of the story -- at least as of Friday 1015 MST.

Regards,

posted 11-01-2001 04:32 PM            

The "Enemy"...

posted 11-02-2001 02:34 AM            

News & City

CIA agent 'met Bin Laden in July'

by Toby Rose
Le Figaro today claimed that a CIA agent met Osama bin Laden in a Gulf hospital as recently as last July and received "precise information" about an imminent attack on the US.

According to the French daily, the agent met Bin Laden while he was being treated at the American Hospital in Dubai for a kidney infection. The agent was subsequently recalled to Washington.

The hospital today vigorously denied the report, which is based on a number of sources, including French secret services and a hospital administrator.

Bin Laden is said to have arrived in the UAE from the Pakistan city of Quetta, accompanied by his personal physician, four bodyguards and an Algerian nurse. He was visited by family members and leading Saudis. The paper claims he was treated in the urology department headed by Dr Terry Callaway.

Bin Laden is said to have severe medical problems and "the kidney infection has spread to his liver". Le Figaro claims a mobile dialysis machine was delivered to his Kandahar hideout in Afghanistan last year.

In a further twist, French secret service operatives are said to have met officials from the US embassy in Paris last August after the arrest of Algerian Djamel Beghal in the UAE.

A French secret service report on 7 September warned of possible attacks, and that the order to act would come from Afghanistan. Le Figaro says very precise information on targets for attack was communicated to the CIA.

posted 11-02-2001 12:26 PM            

Great photos, Tali-Tuby and 'Pinned down'!

But Thermit, do you really think bin Laden is hiding in a cave in Afghanistan? This guy is worth, what?.... $350 million, his family practically owns Saudi Arabia, AND... he's done a great job for the CIA! I don't think the CIA would let him die in the Bahamas, but... come to think of it, I guess they probably would!!