Where Is Osama Bin Laden?

(CBS)  As Osama bin Laden urges Americans to convert to Islam in a new video released Friday, the al Qaeda leader's location remains a mystery.

But informed sources tell CBS News U.S. intelligence believes Osama bin Laden is hiding out in the Chitral district of northern Pakistan. A number of reports from human sources, including some alleged sightings, have put him there, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

None of the reports has been independently confirmed, but there are enough of them to persuade intelligence analysts that it's his most likely location.

Chitral is a remote, rugged area governed by tribes that will not allow even the Pakistani army to operate there.

"They have a code of hospitality for guests, and they've probably also gotten a fair amount of money from bin Laden," says Daniel Benjamin of the Brookings Institute, who tracked bin Laden during the Clinton administration. He believes bin Laden is surrounded by body guards armed with surface-to-air missiles and good intelligence.

"I think it's quite likely he has a very good early warning system (and) that there are perimeters set up so people know who's coming and going in the area that he's living," Benjamin said.

Before 9/11, bin Laden's deputy Ayman al Zawahiri always seemed to be at his side. But no longer.

"They're separated for good reasons," says Benjamin. "Most countries don't let their top two people travel together or undertake anything that would be risky together."

Last year, a U.S. missile strike narrowly missed Zawahiri after the CIA tracked him to a meeting of senior al Qaeda operatives south of Chitral. Al Qaeda seems willing to risk Zawahiri in order to protect bin Laden.

"It seems like they've made a decision that bin Laden will have a much higher level of operational security," Benjamin says. "Zawahiri will take more risks and is probably in a more accessible place."

So far, it's working. The only proof U.S. intelligence has that bin Laden is even alive are his own videos.

[bill1049]

Although it is unknown if by now Osama Bin Laden dead, FBI have found Osama in Northern Afghanistan, and have been surveilling him with their satellites since 2007.

[bill1049]

FBI found Osama Bin Laden. FBI found him in Northern Afghanistan and now surveilling him with their satellites.

It is unknown whether by now Osama Bin Laden is dead or captured.

[gorakzai]

My problem is with the facts of the story. Where did the "author" get the idea that Chitral is a rugged country with Tribals gverning thir land with the ancient codes of hospitality etc.?
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Chitralis are a different melieu from tribal Pukhtoons (of Waziristan, Tirah, even Peshawar) who have alledgely hosted Bin Laden at various times, neither are they bound by the code of "Pukhtoonwali." Their history is different from the rest of Pakistan, and their chemistry, habits, custome, approach to religion and issues of security have always been quite at variance with the more aggressive Pukhtoons.
They are the most peaceful, fun-loving, romantic people in the North, and have faithfully followed the laws of the land, dating back to the colonial era.
While others beyond the Lowari Pass, and Arandu engaged in the militant struggle against Soviets and Americans, as a perceived "Muslim cause", Chitralis remained largely aloof and unimpressed by the "Jihad''.
They seemed to have a clear understanding of the game that was played by the "super powers" and their boy-toys, the mujahedeen or Taliban. They always knew who was pulling the strings.
The long and short of it is, Osama Bin Laden would think many times before he heads in that direction. While Chitralis may not jump over each other to host him or hand him to the CIA, they would dutifully present him to the Pakistani government, no matter who is in power.

[photogeezer]

"...because Bush and associates do not want to catch him"

You may be right. As brazen as this administration has been about lying - to soldiers, to Congress, to all of us - they would have lied about catching Bin Laden by now. They could have paraded around the shot-up body of some tall, thin goatherd with a pubic hair beard and claimed that they killed him, and that all later appearances were faked.

[samsel3]

OBL and Adolf Hitler have the same birthday July 31st.

[xzavierbrown]

Posted by klifton2 at 12:02 AM : Sep 09, 2007
+ report abuse

*******

you forgot the martians..you cannot have a good conspriacy without any martians..i think osama and bush are both martians..they are working so they can take over the world.

oh dont forget that we never really landed on the moon..and if yuo look at a one dollar bill you can see a secret sentence saying "YOU ARE A MORON THAT SHOULD HAD BEEN ABORTED BY YOUR PARENTS"

[klifton2-2009]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that the main reason why OBL is not caught is because Bush and associates simply do not wish to catch him. Bush without OBL is irrelevant both as a man and most all as prez. Even if OBL does not exist, Bush and his gang have to invent him just to justify the invasion of Iraq for his oil buddies who put him in the WH. The whole American society is so corrupted that nothing is impossible. Remember, it is the same society that assassinated two of its presidents, dropped 2 atom bombs on civilians, worked with the Nazis, refused to have anything to do with the Jews, buttressed foreign dictators to serve and then have them disposed, segregated the blacks from society and referred them as half a person, fired and killed students at Duke University, and use biological weapons in V''nam.

[thisjustin2]

Have you not a clue of how dependent of crude all of modern Western culture is? Honestly - think of something with out an once of crude involve - Church - no - electricity and water is used among other crude dependent items.

We are dependent on crude. Our partners that help to keep competition up and our prices down are dependent on crude making us dependent also.

We all need to convert to keep our economy growing, people working, fed, clothed and shelter and add convenience to life as well as save life. All things for emergency response use crude - from the manufacturing of the different products, to the use of them. The ambulance to the IC ward uses crude to keep people alive. There is no alternative fuel being used in the process and for now that keeps the price down. If hospitals converted over now, while prices are too high - we''d all suffer for it.

We are dependent on crude for now and we''ll yes it to weed ourselves off it eventually, but now its impossible. So the Middle East is of interest for our own interests.

[thisjustin2]

Name a part of modern society that doesn''t use crude.

The cleaner air, the tap H20, anything manufactured, anything transported to a store by vehicle, flying, taking the bus or train, driving, reading a book(printing press), electricity, the phone(land and mobile), banking, commerce and much much more.

All use crude in one way or another and in multiply ways. Get off the internet - stop using crude!

You''d have to give up modern society to five up crude or convert all of modern society to alternative fuels now(no one can afford that right now - know something about economics and conversion of large scale systems)!

You will also have to convert our partners around to world else you are still using crude!

Have you bot a clue of how dependent of crude all of modern Western culture is? Honestly - think of something with out an once of crude involve - Church - no - electricity and water is used among other crude dependent items.

[xzavierbrown]

Posted by samsel3 at 10:45 AM : Sep 08, 2007
+ report abuse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


************

guess who is bush''s and the big oil''s best friend??


YOUR DUMB ARSE FOR BUYING THIER OIL...YOU ARE TOO STUPID AND TO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU STAND IN YOUR OWN EQUATION OF DEATH..