|
Bin Laden has died - report
23/09/2006 11:05 - (SA)
Paris - A French regional newspaper quoted a French secret service report on Saturday as saying that Saudi Arabia is convinced al-Qaeda 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 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.
Typhoid
"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.
No confirmation
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 US-backed forces in
late 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.
|
News
