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| Afghanistan |
| Saudi diplo: Binny's in charge |
| 2001-10-05 |
A former Saudi diplomat to Afghanistan was quoted Friday as saying Osama bin Laden - and not the Taliban militia - is the real power there. Abdullah bin Saad al-Otaibi, the former Saudi charge d'affaires to Afghanistan, also said the Taliban themselves were in the dark about the locations of bin Laden's "hidden bases" in the country. Saudi Arabia broke diplomatic ties with the Taliban on Sept. 25 over the regime's refusal to surrender bin Laden, the United States' main suspect in Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon. It was not clear when al-Otaibi returned from Afghanistan. In unusually open remarks, al-Otaibi was quoted as saying bin Laden holds greater power than the Taliban and "that's why the movement cannot hand him to the United States. In fact, Osama bin Laden has more authority than any other defense minister in the world." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |