A leaked intelligence report indicates that there is a chance Osama Bin Laden may be dead. The report says he might have died of typhoid in Pakistan some time in August, 2006. French President, Jacques Chirac has asked Michele Alliot-Marie, his Defense Minister, to try to find out how this leaked intelligence found its way to L’Est Republicain, a French regional newspaper.
The L’Est Republicain article printed a copy of a DGSE intelligence document stating that Osama Bin Laden had died. The document states that the information has not been corroborated. According to the newspaper, top French officials, including the President, received the document on September 21.
The document stated that as Bin Laden had been hiding in a very remote area, his severe Typhoid crisis could not be treated by a doctor.
According to US intelligence, there is no evidence to indicate that Bin Laden has died. Senior officials in Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry doubt the information is correct. Intelligence officials in Pakistan say they have no information to indicate this.
Jacques Chirac stressed that the the information has not been confirmed in any way. When asked by reporters what comments he had on this, he answered ‘I have no comment.’
Most intelligence experts believe Al-Qaeda would release information on Bin Laden’s death quickly. They would not allow the news to come out from other sources and lose the initiative.
Several reports saying Bin Laden has died have surfaced over the years. So far, none of them have been true.
— Article in French Newspaper L’Est Republicain
— French Presidency Web Site
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today