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Binny slips the dragnet?
A local official in eastern Afghanistan says he has received credible reports that Osama bin Laden escaped the recent Pakistani operation to catch him. Speaking to the BBC, a district governor said he passed the details to Afghan intelligence staff. Haji Abdullah, the governor of Pachir-Agam district in Nangarhar province, said he heard the report about al-Qaedaâs leader three days ago. He said he had met a former member of the Taliban who had received a fax referring to "the Sheikh", the term often used for Osama Bin Laden by his supporters. The fax reportedly said the Sheikh was alive and well and that he had escaped a recent attempt by Pakistani forces to catch him on their side of the border. However, the governor rejected recent reports that American forces are focusing on the Tora Bora hills, which overlook his compound, in their search for Osama. There is no sign of any US activity in these rugged hills and peaks. But local residents and officials in the nearby district of Chaprihar said there had been a build-up of American forces in the area earlier this week and that some had stayed for several days.Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-03-06 |
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