Posted on 06/22/2004 5:50:19 PM PDT by nwrep
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Osama bin Laden, the Saudi millionaire accused by the United States of plotting bomb attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa, has left Afghanistan, Afghan sources said Saturday.
Bin Laden's whereabouts were not known, said the sources who declined to be identified.
Taliban authorities in the militia's southern stronghold of Kandahar refused to either confirm or deny reports that bin Laden had left the country. The Taliban have called bin Laden their honored guest, a friend who helped the Afghan resistance fight invading Soviet soldiers in the 1980s.
The Taliban's ambassador in Islamabad, Saeed-ur-Rehman Haqqani, said he had not been told of bin Laden's departure, "but if it has happened, it will be a good thing."
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has offered asylum to bin Laden, who openly supports Iraq against the Western powers.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
No dialysis care available in Iraq?
additional thread of interest:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1158277/posts?page=1
The AP doesn't provide in the story how they know Iraq offered asylum. It's a naked assertion.
"You have earned FREEPER OF THE WEEK for finding this. :)"
I second that.
You are en fuego!
Well, a few thoughts here...
The government of Sudan repeatedly tried to turn Osama over to the US but Clinton refused to take him. This led to Osama leaving for Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan Clinton launched a cruise missile strike greatly PO'ing the Taliban, and doing little else. After that point the Taliban refused to consider discussing a turn over. They were therefore a reliable base for Osama.
Moving to Iraq would move Osama into being an easier target for another attack seeing as we have bases in Turkey, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia that we had used to attack Iraq in the past.
So, while the living standard would be higher, Osama was much safer in Afghanistan, and as we all know, they still allowed his minions to raise money for AQ in Saudi Arabia, so proximity was not an issue.
ping
bump for publicity
nwrep, you're really knocking them out of the park lately!
Great find!
I second that.
All in favor, I say "aye"
Bookmarked. Thanks!
Let him use his Frequent Freeper miles to upgrade to Freeper of the Month..
Get this word out!
AYE!!!
Great job!
Saved to your harddrive I hope?
GREAT catch!!
ping
Thanks for digging this up.
This is especially important now, that Gore has the temerity to attack Bush, claiming that Bush made up the Al Qaeda-Iraq link.
AL GORE TO ACCUSE BUSH ADMINISTRATION OF INTENTIONAL DISTORTION ON IRAQ/AL QAEDA TIES
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158188/posts
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