BIN LADEN "DEAD"


On the 24th night of Ramadan there were scary explosions in the place where Osama bin Laden's cave was. It was completely erased, destroyed by an enormous 52ft missile. There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden died
By Mark Ellis, Foreign Editor


OSAMA bin Laden's supporters yesterday issued a statement on the internet saying he was dead. The claims, repeated in the Al Bayan newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, said that the al-Qaeda terror chief died when the Americans bombed the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan. The details tally with dates of bombing missions in which US intelligence experts suspected that he may have been killed. The newspaper's story, headlined, "Yes, Osama bin Laden is dead but the Jihad will continue until Judgement Day'', quotes witness Shahid Ayan saying he perished on December 10, 2001. He said: "On the 24th night of Ramadan (Dec 10) and at a late hour, there were some scary explosions in the place where Osama bin Laden's cave was. "The cave was completely erased from the ground and became nothing. This was the only cave of the 15 that was destroyed by an enormous 52ft missile and there is no doubt that bin Laden died.'' BOMBED: Osama bin Laden He said the terrorist leader had taken refuge in the mountain caves on November 15 with 30 groups of around 320 fighters. He said the US had been intensively bombing the area for five days. American forces used bunker busting, laser guided bombs which hit at high speed and penetrate deep into the ground. They also attacked with AGM-142s - 3,000lb, television-guided missiles with earth blasting warheads. And it is also likely they had daisy cutters which detonate above ground and release smaller explosives over a huge area. The claim that bin Laden is dead came as Arab al-Jazeera TV carried a statement allegedly from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. He pledged Islamic rule would return and said: "America won't enjoy Afghanistan or find comfort in it until it leaves ashamed. We reassure Muslims everywhere that we are abiding by the pledge and that victory is coming." According to Pakistani intelligence officials, bin Laden was last seen alive on November 17 in a 25-vehicle convoy travelling from Jalalabad in Afghanistan to the Tora Bora caves. He appeared on a video released in December in which he looked sallow and his left arm was lifeless. But since then the trail has gone cold. Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday said he believed bin Laden was dead. He added: "The more we do not hear of him or see any signal of his whereabouts or survival, we are likely to believe he is not alive." But White House advisers to President Bush think he is alive and say there would have been a huge increase in emails and internet chatter among al-Qaeda members if he had been killed.