India and the road to Osama
By Siddharth Srivastava
Nov 3 2004
NEW DELHI - Speculation is rife in India that Osama bin Laden, who has gate-crashed the United States elections with the release of his latest video, is holed up in eastern Pakistan, in the northern regions of the country's portion of Kashmir, with even the possibility that he might have already ventured into Indian territory
SNIP
Hideaway in Kashmir? Reports of the bin Laden sighting, even if speculative, come on the back of news of heightened activity in the Ladakh region (northern part of Indian-administered Kashmir) by the Aviation Research Center (ARC), a specialized reconnaissance agency of India's Research and Analysis Wing, which looks after external intelligence. Highly placed defense sources have been quoted as saying that the Ladakh region has seen an unusual number of sorties by ARC aircraft. While there is little information about the purpose of such missions, the ARC's sudden activities could trigger further speculation that bin Laden may be lurking in what India refers to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Excerpted
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FK03Df05.html
Old news for FReepers, but, new article.
Bin Laden wants nukes: Canadian intelligence
Jim Bronskill
Canadian Press
November 3, 2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Canadian spies have been pondering one of the more chilling questions of the post-9/11 era: Does Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida have briefcase-sized nuclear weapons?
A newly obtained intelligence report examines the intriguing notion and concludes that whatever the answer, the terrorist network is intent on acquiring nuclear means. The assessment revives concerns that emerged as early as 1992 when Stanislav Lunev, a former Russian military intelligence officer, claimed his country's intelligence services had lost many of the portable, backpack-style devices, which weigh about 55 kilograms.
Excerpted
http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=129fbafb-8c34-427c-b924-3d42aae69727