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| Afghanistan |
| Chinese report Binny and Omar were assassinated |
| 2001-10-25 |
James S. Robbins: On October 24 a Chinese internet news site, Zhongxin Wang, ran a piece describing in detail the purported assassination of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar by members of their retinue at an underground base near Kandahar on October 16. They were both shot twice in the back. One of bin Laden's sons and two of Omar's were also killed. The story was picked up today by the Tokyo-based Yomiuru Shimbun, the largest daily newspaper in Japan. Of course rumors and war go hand in hand, and without proof one way or another what is one to think? Robbins: Well, there were some strange things going on in Afghanistan last week. The Pakistani press reported that Mullah Omar had convened a Shura (council meeting) in Kandahar on the 16th of more than 100 Taliban commanders. This alone strikes one as unusual. How could they get to Kandahar safely? And, once there, wouldn't they present a perfect target for the allied forces? Maybe they were — the meeting lasted until the 19th, which was the day of the U.S. Ranger raid on Kandahar. When the Shura ended the Taliban issued some odd comments. For example, they "advised" Mullah Omar to "control the command of the Taliban army by remaining underground," and also "directed Usama bin Ladin and his associates to remain underground." They also set up a line of succession should Omar be "martyred," and "expressed their determination to remain united until the end, even after their leader is martyred." It might sound like prudent planning to establish a line of succession — the United States has one for example — but in an authoritarian regime it is rare. Usually it amounts to a death sentence for the person tapped as the successor. In this case four Taliban commanders were named as possible successors — which could mean that the Shura could not decide on a single successor, and a power struggle is underway. The AP report of the arrest of 100 people in Kandahar also fits the puzzle. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |