Posted on 08/27/2002 8:16:53 AM PDT by B-bone
Bin Laden Reportedly Back at Helm of al Qaeda Tue Aug 27,10:12 AM ET
By Michael Georgy
LONDON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites) is firmly back in command of al Qaeda and the group is digging in for guerrilla attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan ( news - web sites), an Arab journalist with close ties to the militant's associates said on Tuesday.
Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, said al Qaeda associates recently told him the network had regained confidence after facing intense U.S. bombing and was ready to fight U.S. troops over the long haul.
"Al Qaeda were shattered during the U.S. bombing so it was difficult for bin Laden to stay in control. Now they said he is fully in command again and they have regrouped and are organized again," Atwan told Reuters.
"Al Qaeda people say they are relaxed now and they will fight a war of attrition against U.S. soldiers," added Atwan, who interviewed bin Laden in 1996 and keeps in contact with his associates and followers.
Bin Laden was in good health and "safe" and was planning new attacks on the United States, he was told, but his whereabouts were not disclosed.
The United States launched strikes on Afghanistan last year to flush out al Qaeda and hunt down bin Laden, its prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and punish the Taliban regime that protected him.
But remnants of al Qaeda and their Taliban allies have continually frustrated the U.S.-led coalition by hiding in mountains, melting into the local population or fleeing into neighboring Pakistan or Iran.
Atwan said that the al Qaeda and Taliban had re-established links that were severed when the United States began its military campaign in Afghanistan.
"They are working together again. They are organizing," he said.
There is no trail, meanwhile, leading to bin Laden.
Bin Laden's associates told Atwan that the Saudi-born militant was well, "safe" and planning new attacks on the United States. They did not say where bin Laden was currently living.
"My sense is that he will time any new attack to coincide with a U.S. attack on Iraq. He would want to capitalize on this to appeal to the Arab street so he will probably delay any attacks until the United States moves on Iraq," said Atwan.
"He will probably want to be seen as the only Arab standing up to the United States when the United States attacks Iraq."
Bin Laden made a series of defiant videotapes broadcast on television as U.S. warplanes pounded Afghanistan. But he has recently stayed out of sight.
His associates said Bin Laden, who has a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, was well protected but his entourage was small in order to avoid capture, said Atwan.
"He is the master of disguise and he is making sure that he is not giving anything away so he travels in a small group," he said.
Bin Laden's top aide Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian-born chief strategist of al Qaeda, was with him along with a small group of militant bodyguards, Atwan was told.
They need to live out the rest of their short, miserable lives always looking over their shoulders, knowing that God demands justice, the U.S. veangance, and their islamaster, Satan, his due.
I hope that you are right and I am wrong but cant seem to reconcile myself to the idea that just because we have not heard from him means that he is dead. This scumbag is sly and knows that every day he remains silent means a little less intensity in the hunt to find him. Just take a look at most of our responses to the article. We are writing the bastard off based solely on assumptions regarding his prior physical condition and what we can guess about his ego. If this were evidence at a trial it would be considered pretty thin.
This guy is not looking for direct confrontation with our military because he knows he is overmatched. He will look to undermine the security that supports our way of life and this may be best accomplished by waiting until our guard is down.
Sure. In stock, at year 2000 prices, right?
Oh no, not the Arab street!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such ordinarily calm and decent folk, who knows what they will do to us if they are riled up!!!!!!
Isn't it interesting that Pakistan appears to be under an umbrella of protection at least as great as that which has caused us to defer our attack on Iraq for so long? It's a wide umbrella.
Don't forget we were heavily bombing the mountain passes he would have had to escape through with B52s. My presonal belief is he tried to escape and was blown to bits. In any case if he were alive he would have released a new video. This guy made several videos a year. What we have seen is midlevel AQ leaders promising he will send a tape for about 5 months now, but it never shows up. His own people have to have doubts about whether he is alive, and it has to be demoralizing. Our officials can't say he's dead since we can't prove it. As I said at the time we will be operating indefinately on the assumption that he is both dead and alive. We have to assume he is alive and keep looking, but we also have to assume he is dead and move on to the next objective.
Yeah . . . And he's . . .disguised as Tom Daschle!? You may be on to something!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.