Expert says Bin Laden could be dead

[Lefty Wilbury]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17835463^1702,00.html

Expert says Bin Laden could be dead

16jan06

A terrorism expert says he has seen evidence showing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is either seriously ill or dead.

Dr Clive Williams, director of terrorism studies at the Australian National University, says documents provided by an Indian colleague suggested bin Laden died of massive organ failure in April last year.

"It does seem reasonably convincing based on the evidence that I've been provided with that he's certainly either severely incapacitated or dead at this stage," Dr Williams said.

Dr Williams said Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy who was the target of a US air strike in Pakistan last week, has been making all statements on behalf of the terror network for the past year.

Dr Williams said proving whether the terrorist leader was still alive might be impossible.


"It's hard to prove or disprove these things because there hasn't really been anything that allows you to make a judgment one way or the other," Dr Williams said.

"But it does seem strange that Dr Zawahiri has been making all of the statements since then, and nothing's been heard from bin Laden since, I think, the December of the year before."

Dr Williams said even if bin Laden was dead, those who upheld the same philosophies would continue to fight for their cause.

 

[Annie]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17835463^1702,00.html

Expert says Bin Laden could be dead

16jan06

A terrorism expert says he has seen evidence showing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is either seriously ill or dead.

Dr Clive Williams, director of terrorism studies at the Australian National University, says documents provided by an Indian colleague suggested bin Laden died of massive organ failure in April last year.

"It does seem reasonably convincing based on the evidence that I've been provided with that he's certainly either severely incapacitated or dead at this stage," Dr Williams said.

Dr Williams said Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy who was the target of a US air strike in Pakistan last week, has been making all statements on behalf of the terror network for the past year.

Dr Williams said proving whether the terrorist leader was still alive might be impossible.


"It's hard to prove or disprove these things because there hasn't really been anything that allows you to make a judgment one way or the other," Dr Williams said.

"But it does seem strange that Dr Zawahiri has been making all of the statements since then, and nothing's been heard from bin Laden since, I think, the December of the year before."

Dr Williams said even if bin Laden was dead, those who upheld the same philosophies would continue to fight for their cause.

I saw something similar a few days ago. The 'report' said he died in October or early Nov. from kidney disease, in Iran. I don't think we are ever going to find out what's with bin Laden. It's been over a year.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Excerpt from an article:

This historical moment is not easy to understand, since we are in transition from a relatively stable world, dominated by a handful of major powers, to something we cannot yet define, since it is up to us to shape it. It seems clear, however, that there is a greater rapidity of change, accompanied--inevitably--by the passing of the leaders of the old order. This is particularly clear in the Middle East, where seven key figures have been struck down in the past six years. And, according to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden finally departed this world in mid-December. The al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent most of his time since the destruction of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Iranians who reported this note that this year's message in conjunction with the Muslim Haj came from his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for the first time.

http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.23650/pub_detail.asp