Bin Laden was reported to be in poor health. Some accounts claim that he is suffering from
Hepatitis C, and can expect to live for only two more years. According to Le Figaro, last year [2000] he
ordered a mobile dialysis machine to be delivered to his base at Kandahar in Afghanistan. [Guardian]
Peter Bergen: Bin Laden has aged 'enormously'
This is a man who was clearly not well. I mean, as you see from these
pictures here, he's really, by December [2001] he's looking pretty terrible.
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Healthy bin Laden
The one dying of renal failure and marfans syndrome
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Bin Laden December 27, 2001 video | |
But by December, of course, that tape that was aired then,
he's barely moving the left side of his body. So he's clearly got diabetes. He has low blood pressure. He's
got a wound in his foot. He's apparently got dialysis ... for kidney problems. [CNN]
The [December 27, 2001 video] was dismissed by the Bush administration ... as sick
propaganda possibly designed to mask the fact the al-Qa'eda leader was already dead. "He could have made the
video and then ordered that it be released in the event of his death," said one White House aide. [Telegraph] |
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Pakistan's Musharraf: Bin Laden probably dead
Pakistan's president says he thinks Osama bin Laden is most likely dead because the suspected terrorist has
been unable to get treatment for his kidney disease. [A Bush administration official] said U.S.
intelligence is that bin Laden needs dialysis every three days and "it is fairly obvious that that could be an
issue when you are running from place to place, and facing the idea of needing to generate electricity in a
mountain hideout." [CNN]
Renal dialysis -- talking about hemodialysis -- is something that really is reserved for patients in
end-stage renal failure. That means their kidneys have just completely shut down. The most common cause of
something like that would be something like diabetes and hypertension. Once that's happened, if you're
separated from your dialysis machine -- and incidentally, dialysis machines require electricity, they're going
to require clean water, they're going to require a sterile setting -- infection is a huge risk with that. If
you don't have all those things and a functioning dialysis machine, it's unlikely that you'd survive beyond
several days or a week at the most. [CNN] |
FBI: Bin Laden 'probably' dead The US Federal Bureau of
Investigation's counter-terrorism chief, Dale Watson, says he thinks Osama bin Laden is dead. [BBC]
Magazine runs what it calls bin Laden's will The
editor-in-chief of a London-based Arab news magazine said a purported will it published Saturday was written
late last year [2001] by Osama bin Laden, and shows "he's dying or he's going to die soon." [CNN]
Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung complication, the Pakistan Observer
reported, citing a Taliban leader who allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader. "The Coalition
troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of
getting Usama alive or dead," the source said. [FOX News]
Translation of Funeral Article in Egyptian Paper: al-Wafd, Wednesday,
December 26, 2001 Vol 15 No 4633 News of Bin Laden's Death and Funeral
10 days ago
A prominent official in the Afghan Taleban movement announced yesterday the death of Osama bin Laden, the
chief of al-Qa'da organization, stating that binLaden suffered serious complications in the lungs and died a
natural and quiet death. [Welfare
State] |
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Osama bin who? Israel does not view bin Laden as a threat. [Janes]
Israeli intelligence: Bin Laden is dead, heir has been chosen
Israeli sources said Israel and the United States assess that Bin Laden probably died in the U.S. military
campaign in Afghanistan in December. They said the emergence of new messages by
Bin Laden are probably fabrications, Middle East Newsline reported. [World Tribune]
When you hear a threat which is "probably" made by bin Laden, just remember that he's "probably" dead.
Also think about who benefits from your believing he's alive. |
"Osama bin Laden"
Fitter than ever in 2004 |
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