[RT] Chinese already trying that rumor........

[Dorothy Carter <dorothy.carter@xxxxxxxx>]

 <FONT color=#990033 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=4 
FAMILY="SERIF">Bin Laden, Dead?<FONT color=#000000 
face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" 
FAMILY="SERIF"><FONT color=#999999 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 
size=2 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">A Chinese report says 
so.<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"><FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">By Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO 
Executive Editor<FONT color=#999999 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">October 25, 2001 12:10 
p.m.<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"><IMG 
border=0 height=23 src="http://www.nationalreview.com/images/J.gif"; 
width=17><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">ames S. Robbins, a professor of 
international relations at the National Defense University's School for National 
Defense Studies & NRO contributor. The opinions expressed in this article 
are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of NDU, the Department 
of Defense, or the government of the United States. <FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">Kathryn Jean 
Lopez:<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"> There are reports on the 
Internet and in a Japanese newspaper that Mullah Mohammed Omar and Osama bin 
Laden are dead. Where are these coming from and should we have any reason to 
believe them — over, say, the claims of the Taliban?<FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">James S. 
Robbins:<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"> On October 24 a Chinese 
internet news site, Zhongxin 
Wang, ran a piece describing in detail the purported assassination 
of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar by members of their 
retinue at an underground base near Kandahar on October 16. They were both shot 
twice in the back. One of bin Laden's sons and two of Omar's were also killed. 
The story was picked up today by the Tokyo-based Yomiuru Shimbun, the 
largest daily newspaper in Japan. Of course rumors and war go hand in hand, and 
without proof one way or another what is one to think? <FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">Lopez:<FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"> Last week there was a 
meeting in Afghanistan with top Taliban leaders after which they announced that 
the Taliban would fight under other leaders if Mullah Omar dies. This meeting 
began on October 16, the day this Chinese site claims Omar was shot. 
Coincidence?<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 
size=2 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">Robbins:<FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"> Well, there were some 
strange things going on in Afghanistan last week. The Pakistani press reported 
that Mullah Omar had convened a Shura (council meeting) in Kandahar on 
the 16th of more than 100 Taliban commanders. This alone strikes one as unusual. 
How could they get to Kandahar safely? And, once there, wouldn't they present a 
perfect target for the allied forces? Maybe they were — the meeting lasted until 
the 19th, which was the day of the U.S. Ranger raid on Kandahar. When the Shura 
ended the Taliban issued some odd comments. For example, they "advised" Mullah 
Omar to "control the command of the Taliban army by remaining underground," and 
also "directed Usama bin Ladin and his associates to remain underground." They 
also set up a line of succession should Omar be "martyred," and "expressed their 
determination to remain united until the end, even after their leader is 
martyred." It might sound like prudent planning to establish a line of 
succession — the United States has one for example — but in an authoritarian 
regime it is rare. Usually it amounts to a death sentence for the person tapped 
as the successor. In this case four Taliban commanders were named as possible 
successors — which could mean that the Shura could not decide on a single 
successor, and a power struggle is underway. The AP report of the arrest of 100 
people in Kandahar also fits the puzzle.And one more thing to consider: 
On Oct. 16, Taliban Corps Commander Mullah Muhammad Akhtar Usmani, one of the 
people named as a possible successor to Omar, made a lengthy statement that Omar 
and his family were "safe at their residence" and "completely unharmed." But no 
one had claimed otherwise. <FONT color=#000000 
face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=2 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" 
FAMILY="SERIF">Lopez: <FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" 
lang=0 size=3 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">What would be 
a possible motivation for the Taliban to kill either Mullah Omar or Osama bin 
Laden? And if they did, why wouldn't they come right out and blame it on us, 
possibly, even inciting international calls for the U.S. to end the strikes on 
Afghanistan?<FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 
size=2 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF">Robbins:<FONT 
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" lang=0 size=3 
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" FAMILY="SERIF"> Motives are hard to judge. 
The assassins were clearly on a suicide mission. We can't know for whom they 
were working; maybe they were just Afghan patriots. The alleged attack coincided 
with an unscheduled meeting between Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad 
Mutawakkil (another of the possible successors and a so-called "moderate") and 
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. It was rumored that Mutawakkil was 
defecting, but he returned to Afghanistan. Not much has been heard of him since 
he pledged "complete trust in the leadership of Mullah Omar" in an interview on 
al Jazeera television October 19. It is satisfying to think that Omar and bin 
Laden are dead, and we should know soon if this is true. This kind of thing 
can't stay secret for long. If they are dead then we can assume that the faction 
that killed them has been expunged and the Taliban has decided to fight on — 
otherwise they would have announced the martyrdom, no doubt fighting the 
American invaders or some such thing. If they aren't dead, this could be 
disinformation, but by whom and for what purpose is unclear. It hardly benefits 
the Taliban for these stories to get out. I think they should be asked 
demonstrate unequivocally that they are alive. The United States should sic the 
White House press corps on the Taliban spokesman until we get some answers. 
If bin Laden and Omar are alive, let them show themselves, preferably in 
an open area away from hospitals and mosques, on a clear day. Just stay there 
until we can confirm it.






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