could typhoid have done him in? more than likely media propaganda but ... you never know... link: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20466198-2,00.html
I was just reading about this myself. Could this have been Rove's "October Surprise?" ------------------ Osama bin Laden dead? I don't want to make too big a deal of this--yet. But according to a regional French newspaper that obtained a classified French secret service report, the Saudis are convinced bin Laden died of typhoid in August in Pakistan. Now, reports of bin Laden's death have been exaggerated before. What makes this report particularly interesting is that the French Defense Ministry has essentially confirmed the existence of the secret service report, saying publicly that while it cannot confirm that bin Laden is dead, it will launch an inquiry into the leak of the secret document and seek criminal charges against the leaker. -- TPM Reader DK http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
I also just read it on some dutch news sites. However the respected dutch media has not mentioned it. so i'm not sure about the credibility.
sorry forgot to add my blurb for the lazy onto my link in the original post here goes France checks bin Laden 'death'From correspondents in Paris September 23, 2006 07:58pm Article from: ReutersFont size: + - Send this article: Print Email FRANCE'S Defence Ministry has said a secret service report saying al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has died cannot be confirmed, but it will launch an inquiry into the leak of secret documents. The Defence Ministry issued the statement after a French regional newspaper, L'Est Republicain, published a report quoting a French secret service report as saying Saudi Arabia is convinced bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan last month. "The information published this morning in the L'Est Republicain newspaper relating to the supposed death of Osama bin Laden cannot be confirmed," the Defence Ministry said. "The Defence Minister (Michele Alliot-Marie) has asked that an inquiry be carried out to determine the origin of the leak that can be punished by criminal charges." The newspaper printed what it said was a copy of the report dated September 21 and said it was shown to President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and France's interior and defence 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 Qaeda was a victim while he was in Pakistan on August 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 defence" label and the initials of the French secret service, said Saudi Arabia first heard the information on September 4 and that it was waiting for more details before making an official announcement. A U.S. counterterrorism official said today the U.S. was unable to confirm the report. "We cannot confirm the account," said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the issue. "It's quite possible (that) there was some talk of this, but in terms of being able to confirm this, that I can't do." A senior official in Pakistan said no foreign government had shared information with Pakistan that would back up the report of bin Laden's death. Saudi-born bin Laden was based in Afghanistan until the Taliban government there was overthrown by US-backed forces in 2001. Since then, US 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.
Here's another article from Time: http://www.cnn.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1538569,00.html?cnn=yes Is Bin Laden Dead? Saudi sources tell TIME that credible reports suggest the fugitive Qaeda leader has contracted a serious 'water-borne illness,' and may have already died By SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO AND TALA SKARI/PARIS SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHORArchive: Why Can't We Find Osama? Related: Plot Shows al-Qaeda's Weakness Posted Saturday, Sep. 23, 2006 Fugitive Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, believed to be on the run in rugged terrain in the Afghan-Pakistani border region since the September 11 attacks five years ago, has become seriously ill and may have already died, a Saudi source tells TIME, echoing earlier reports in the French media. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that Saudi officials have received multiple credible reports over the last several weeks that Bin Laden has been suffering from a water-borne illness. The source believes that there is a "high probability" that Bin Laden has already died from the disease, but stressed that Saudi officials have thus far received no concrete evidence of Bin Laden's death. "This is not a rumor," says the source. "He is very ill. He got a water-related sickness and it could be terminal. There are a lot of serious facts about things that have actually happened. There is a lot to it. But we don't have any concrete information to say that he is dead." On Saturday, the French newspaper L'Est Republicain cited a report by the French intelligence service, Direction Generale des Services Exteriors (DGSE), saying that Saudi intelligence officials "seem to have become convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead." The report quoted by the newspaper said the Saudis believe bin Laden "might have succumbed to a very serious case of typhoid fever resulting in partial paralysis of his lower limbs while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006." The DGSE report quoted by L'Est Republicain said that its information on the Saudi findings came from a "usually reliable source," indicating that it did not necessarily come directly from Saudi intelligence officials. The DGSE report cited by the newspaper said that Bin Laden's geographic isolation made it difficult for him to receive proper medical assistance for his ailment. The report said that Saudi intelligence picked up the first news of bin Laden's alleged demise on September 4. The DGSE says that Saudi authorities are waiting to get more details, "notably the exact place of his burial, before officially announcing the news," the newspaper said, citing what it called verbatim text from the report. L'est Republicain, based in Metz in eastern France covering the Lorraine region, says the French secret services considered the DGSE report reliable enough to transmit it last Thursday to the highest levels of the French government, specifically to French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. Alliot-Marie has reportedly demanded an investigation into the leak of the DGSE report to L'Est Republicain.
Whats the difference if he is dead or alive. He is an old man I bet he doesn't really do anything anymore other than hide in caves. I think bush has done more to push OBL's cause (islamic extremism) then bin laden himself.
HAHAAHA he was a water borne disease. You know what that means... Diarrhea I bet he wishes he had some of this right now
Great news if true, but I don't think it makes much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. Al Qaeda seems more than capable of operating sans Bin Laden. He's just one man in the puzzle. Zarqawi's death did nothing to squash our problems in Iraq and I'm afraid Bin Laden's death will only be a psychological boost.
He's the guy who takes credit for and probably set up 9-11. He needs to be dead. I only wish we had killed him... either under Clinton, after 9-11, or certainly between the time Bush got a little one page summary titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" and 9-10.
I'll believe it when I see it. The French report comes from one communication between a french diplomat and a lower level Saudi diplomat who stated that Saudi intelligence had determined that Bin Laden died. However, officially the Saudis have come out and said that they don't believe that Bin Laden has died so I'm not sure what to think. But if he has in fact died, then that's very good news.
This is an extremely ignorant post on so many levels. He was an 'old man' 5 years ago, and you know what he was able to pull off then.
I think his argument is that Bin Laden has very little to no control over Al Qaeda anymore. The US and Europe basically froze all of his assets after 9/11, so he offers no financial support anymore. Plus, branches of Al Qaeda in Iraq aren't under his control anyway. Most terrorism analysts point out that Al Qaeda's greatest strength is the fact that they have decentralized the entire operation and now consists of seperate and independent groups across the world. Thus taking out Bin Laden would be a gigantic symbolic victory but in practical terms, it isn't as big of an impact as it would have been, say 10-15 years ago when all of Al Qaeda reported directly to him.
Hardly, they have one of the best intel networks in the world, they just prefer to utilize it when it suits them... BTW, did anyone catch the "CNN Present" segment last night about Bin Laden? It was a terrific documentary hosted by Christiana Amanpour, I think they will replay it today, I highly recommend it.
When he dies, I would hope he would die in an attack led by US troops that volunteered to go fight in Afghanistan to get justice for 9/11. Him dying in a cave like a frail old man just doesn't seem right.
