Pakistan's president believes Osama bin Laden may have died from a kidney ailment.

Ananova ^ | 1/18/02

[Interloper]

Bin Laden 'may have died from kidney ailment'

Pakistan's president believes Osama bin Laden may have died from a kidney ailment.

General Pervez Musharraf told CNN that bin Laden may have died because he was unable to get treatment during the US bombing campaign.

Musharraf did not indicate whether he had intelligence reports to back up his suspicions. He added that, if bin Laden is still alive, he is still in Afghanistan.

Musharraf said: "I think now, frankly, he is dead for the reason that he is a patient, a kidney patient.

"We know that he donated two dialysis machines into Afghanistan. One was specifically for his own personal use."

Bin Laden last appeared in a video tape broadcast on December 26 by the Arabic language television station Al-Jazeera, during which he praised the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks.

Bin Laden looked pale and gaunt. He occasionally smiled as he spoke and, although clearly thinner than in past tapes, his voice was strong and slightly raspy.

Musharraf added: "I don't know if he has been getting all that treatment in Afghanistan now. And the photographs that have been shown of him on television show him extremely weak."

Last month, Musharraf told Chinese television there was a "great possibility" that bin Laden was dead.

He suggested that bin Laden could have been killed in the US bombing of the Tora-Bora camp in eastern Afghanistan. A search of the area by U.S. special forces turned up no trace of bin Laden.

Story filed: 18:41 Friday 18th January 2002

[Askel5]

Oh man, I'm going to bust a gut.

In our haste to make certain women had Legal Abortion, we forgot to ensure Healthcare for the Prize Pig?!?

[Askel5]

Musharraf told Chinese television

Smart move. If a gabillion people believe it, it must be true.

[Ratatoskr]

I wondered about this possibility myself. On the one hand, I'd heard he had kidney trouble possibly severe enough to require dialysis. On the other hand, I've also heard he's a professional hypochondriac.

[francisandbeans]

It's either that or he has knowledge that bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan and doesn't want to face the political reality of handing him to The US. This way he can claim ignorence.

[Magnum44]

Funny, but after 4 months of high level media attention, this is the first I've heard that OBL was on dialysis.

[kidd]

Pakistan's president believes Osama bin Laden may have died from a kidney ailment.

Yes, a daisy cutter ran into it.

[Lazamataz]

This is a shrewd announcement. It now puts the onus on Bin Laden to prove otherwise - and risk detection. It's also shrewd that it wasn't a US official making the claim.

The use of the word 'shrewd' is, in and of itself, shrewd.

[DJ88]

"If a gabillion people believe it, it must be true."

ROFTLMAO!!!!!!!! HEEHEEHAHAHA!!! Oh, you really struck my funny bone, Askel....;-)

[Senator Pardek]

There's plenty of healthcare for billionaires seeing this on CNN in the Sudan.

[DittoJed2]

It has been reported before.

[vrwinger]

professional hypochondriac...

Is there good money in that??

[epluribus_2]

Kinda hard to carry a dialysis machine on a donkey through the snowy mountains of the Khyber pass - he might be dead. I bet pakistan can count on one hand all such machines they have and where they are - do ya think they might have forgotten to look there? Especially in those moose-lim hospitals?

[N. Theknow]

Pakistan's president believes Osama bin Laden may have died from a kidney ailment.

No $hit?

[maestro]

They gotta be 'kidning'!

[RightWhale]

this is the first I've heard that OBL was on dialysis

We heard this on FR, right here, probably about 2 years ago. Bin Waitin for bin Laden to succumb. IMO, He died on or before Dec 15, 2001, of pneumonia and his buried where his bones will probably never be found.

[Mixer]

OBL Alert!

[DJ88]

"Musharraf did not indicate whether he had intelligence reports to back up his suspicions. He added that, if bin Laden is still alive, he is still in Afghanistan." Now, how exactly would he know this if he didn't indicate whether he had any intelligence to back up whether he is dead or not??? This is so bizarre..

"Musharraf said: "I think now, frankly, he is dead for the reason that he is a patient, a kidney patient....wait one minute. If you are dead, you are no longer a patient. Especially a kidney patient..you're telling me that this guy can get a bunch of idiots to crash planes into buildings but he can't find ONE SINGLE PERSON TO DONATE A KIDNEY OR TWO FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH??

Frankly, I think this is all bull___. CYA, Mushareff.

[Ratatoskr]

Is there good money in that??

Well, sure! For your medical staff, anyway.