Senior Nato Official: Bin Laden still alive and hiding in a house in NW Pakistan(CNN)

[OILFAN #81]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapc...tan.bin.laden/

"Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri are believed to be hiding close to each other in houses in northwest Pakistan, but are not together, a senior NATO official said."

Read the rest of the article for more info.

[Pinner]

Kaboom

The official, who has day-to-day senior responsibilities for the war, offered a potentially grimmer view than what has been publicly offered by others.
"Every year the insurgency can generate more and more manpower," despite military attacks, he said.

Although there has been security progress, he pointed to an internal assessment that there are 500,000 to 1 million "disaffected" men between the ages of 15 and 25 along the Afghan-Pakistan border region, he said.
The U.S. military could sustain a war "'indefinitely," the official said. But the goal is to achieve reconciliation and allow the Afghan government o function and provide security and services to the people.
Without that, he said, "we will be fighting here forever."

[SeeBass]

The reward for his head is too high to think that there would be that many people aware of his location and have not given him up yet.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

The reward for his head is too high to think that there would be that many people aware of his location and have not given him up yet.

Exactly....if someone knows his exact location and isnt a suporter of his, they are leaving over 25 MIllion US dollars on the table by not telling the FBI.

The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction of Usama Bin Laden. An additional $2 million is being offered through a program developed and funded by the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association.

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/usama-bin-laden

[sa226]

Isn't Bin Laden more of a symbol now than anything?

Not that he isn't still head honcho or whatever, I'm just saying that if they do find him, its not like it will all be over, another radical will just take his place. All I can imagine finding him will accomplish is boosting morale.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by sa226

Isn't Bin Laden more of a symbol now than anything?

Not that he isn't still head honcho or whatever, I'm just saying that if they do find him, its not like it will all be over, another radical will just take his place. All I can imagine finding him will accomplish is boosting morale.

I agree but his head is worth a huge bump in the polls, some closer on 911 and perhaps a face saving excuse to leave Afghanistan.

[kirant]

I'm amazed that he's alive, if true, more than anything. Even before he was on the run, didn't he have plenty of health issues? Getting from place to place must have done a number on him.

[CaptainCrunch]

The biggest problem with this is that the ISI has been so thorougly compromised.

The ideal operation for the Pakistani government with all of its tribal problems, and their problems with the American's would be to snatch Bin Laden. But they can't get within several miles of him because they're fighting a war with their own internal security agency.

The whole thing is such a mess.

[Table 5]

This sounds like a pretty good premise for a sitcom. Two guys hiding in neighboring houses, who knows what trouble they'll get into!

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Table 5

This sounds like a pretty good premise for a sitcom. Two guys hiding in neighboring houses, who knows what trouble they'll get into!

could use a talking baby

[puckluck]

No way is Bin Laden hiding out in a house. He knows the mountains like the back of his hand, and has spent most of his life there so why would he be hiding in a house where it would be pretty easy to get caught.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by sa226

Isn't Bin Laden more of a symbol now than anything?

Not that he isn't still head honcho or whatever, I'm just saying that if they do find him, its not like it will all be over, another radical will just take his place. All I can imagine finding him will accomplish is boosting morale.

Well if they finally bagged him it would be "Mission Accomplished"...

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by puckluck

No way is Bin Laden hiding out in a house. He knows the mountains like the back of his hand, and has spent most of his life there so why would he be hiding in a house where it would be pretty easy to get caught.

I guess I would question this. bin Laden does have a history of hiding out in the open when he's protected.

In the Sudan he lived in a luxury home, and didn't leave until the Sudanese government secretly offered to turn him over to the U.S.

At the start of his activities in Afghanistan he had several really nice compounds in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He hasn't always been a cave dweller, and when you've thouroughly compromised a government and you have their security forces on your side, you just need to stay far enough back from the border to avoid being hit by a missile.

[Pinner]

He needs regular kidney dialysis right ?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Pinner

He needs regular kidney dialysis right ?

I don't think that's ever been proven. IIRC, its a theory based around his appearance over the last few years.

[JBR]

If he's living in a house, can the CIA try to use Google Street View and maybe catch an image of him watering the lawn?

[CaptainCrunch]

Maybe send Bugs Bunny over there in a dress to errr deal with him.