Saudi Arabian intelligence services have apparently told the French that Osama bin Laden is dead from either typhoid or kidney failure. The report, given to French President Chirac, and reported in the French newspaper L'Est Republicain, says that bin Laden died September 21st. Time Magazine has the story.
U.S. intel sources remain skeptical of the report. Other sources say that bin Laden is still alive, but gravely ill, and possibly receiving dialysis.
From My Way News:
The French defense ministry on Saturday called for an internal investigation of the leak of an intelligence document that raises the possibility that Osama bin Laden may have died of typhoid in Pakistan a month ago but said the report of the death remained unverified.
"The information defused this morning by the l'Est Republicain newspaper concerning the possible death of Osama bin Laden cannot be confirmed," a Defense Ministry statement said.
The daily newspaper for the Lorraine region in eastern France printed what it described as a confidential document from the French foreign intelligence service DGSE citing an uncorroborated report from Saudi secret services that the leader of the al-Qaida terror network had died.
The contents of the document, dated Sept. 21, or Thursday, were not confirmed by French or other intelligence sources. However, the DGSE transmitted the note to President Jacques Chirac and other officials, the newspaper said.
[...]
"According to a reliable source, Saudi security services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," said the intelligence report.
There have been periodic reports of bin Laden's illness or death in recent years but none has been proven accurate.
According to this document, Saudi security services were pursuing further details, notably the place of his burial.
We can expect to hear more about this in the coming days, but, without a body, I think many intelligence services will remain skeptical about the report.
Let's hope it's true, however. And that it was very painful.
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