The Command Post - Global War On Terror - More on the bin Laden Watch

February 21, 2004

More on the bin Laden Watch

[The following was written by Stephen Green and originally posted here]

From the Sunday Telegraph:

A BRITISH Sunday newspaper is claiming Osama bin Laden has been found and is surrounded by US special forces in an area of land bordering north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Sunday Express, known for its sometimes colourful scoops, claims the al-Qaeda leader has been "sighted" for the first time since 2001 and is being monitored by satellite.

The paper claims he is in a mountainous area to the north of the Pakistani city of Quetta. The region is said to be peopled with bin Laden supporters and the terrorist leader is estimated to also have 50 of his fanatical bodyguards with him.

The claim is attributed to "a well-placed intelligence source" in Washington, who is quoted as saying: "He (bin Laden) is boxed in."

UPDATE: The Australian adds one more detail -- "The area makes an all-out conventional military assault impossible, according to the report. "

UPDATE: And from DeepikaGlobal:

The US has scotched reports coming out of Pakistan that its forces have captured Osama bin Laden.
''That would be news to everybody in this room. No, I haven't heard anything -- haven't heard anything like that,'' spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at the White House here yesterday.

Asked to clarify what prompted President Pervez Musharraf to say a couple of weeks ago that Pakistani forces would have bin Laden by the year-end, the spokesman said, ''I speak for the President.

Obviously, I don't speak for President Musharraf.'' As for whether the capture of bin Landen would signal the end of the war on terrorism, McClellan said the war on terrorism would continue.

UPDATE: Read this Washington Post story to learn why you shouldn't get too excited by today's reports.

Posted by Michele at February 21, 2004 04:15 PM | TrackBack

Comments

...but DRUDGE!!!! is reporting it, so it must be true!

Posted by: x at February 21, 2004 09:57 PM

Hey x, when are you going to tell us that you a) unequivocallly support the Palestinian tactic of using civilians as human shields, or that b) you unequivocally support it.

Cowardly troll.

Posted by: Gabriel Hanna at February 22, 2004 03:30 AM

Northwest Pakistan?

3km mountains north of Quetta?

Time for some new blood in the Royal Cartographic Society.

Posted by: jeffers at February 22, 2004 05:15 AM

"ISLAMABAD, 22 February 2004 � Pakistani officials have denied the presence of any US troops in South Waziristan
where the Pakistani troops have recently launched an operation to flush out terrorists from tribal areas close to the Afghan
border.

The operation on the Pakistani side coincides with the operation launched by US troops in the Khost area of Afghanistan to
eliminate Al-Qaeda and Taleban elements. Senior military officials said that Pakistani Army had taken positions in trenches
and cliffs in Wana, the headquarters of Waziristan Agency, adding that the 800-kilometer long Chaman border with
Afghanistan was also completely sealed"

More at:

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=39905&d=22&m=2&y=2004

Posted by: jeffers at February 22, 2004 05:33 AM

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