Bin Laden report denied

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON
The Associated Press

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Bin Laden and his chief associate, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal regions of Pakistan flanking Afghanistan.

The top Pakistani spokesman, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said the recent comments about bin Laden by J. Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, were a "political statement."

"We don't have any information about bin Laden," Ahmed said.

A senior Pakistani security official who attended meetings with Black last week in Islamabad said Black did not share information "about any possible hideouts of Osama."

"We cannot say that we are close to capturing him," the official said.

Black told the private Geo network in an interview broadcast Saturday that if bin Laden "has a watch, he should be looking at it because the clock is ticking.

"What I tell people, I would be surprised but not necessarily shocked if we wake up tomorrow and he's been caught along with all his lieutenants. That can happen because of the programs and infrastructure in place."

Ahmed said Black "may have this information, but we do not have any such thing." Although he described Black's comments as a "political statement," he said he was not implying that Black's comments were connected to the U.S. presidential elections.

Pakistan has deployed about 70,000 troops along the border with Afghanistan.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More nation & world headlines...