Two of UBL's Sons Arrested in Afghanistan

Eli · March 7, 2003, 11:23

Fox News.

DinoDoc · March 7, 2003, 11:24

Post the article.

FrustratedPoet · March 7, 2003, 11:24

If it's on FOX then it must be true!

Starchild · March 7, 2003, 11:29

First the mutant space ants are released by the destruction of Columbia and now the next piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Now, all we need is the Queen Elizabeth sex scandal to emerge and everything will be ready to begin...

mwhahahahahahaha. It's all coming to fruition.

Az · March 7, 2003, 11:29

It is true. all over the news now.

Eli · March 7, 2003, 11:29

Quote:

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Post the article.

No article yet. Fox says that AP says that two of his sons are arrested.

CNN just said that it's not certain. But from what I know, a Pakistani minister is the source.

FrustratedPoet · March 7, 2003, 11:31

Arrested for what?

Eli · March 7, 2003, 11:31

There ya go...

Quote:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two sons of Usama bin Laden were arrested in southeastern Afghanistan in a joint operation involving Pakistani and U.S. forces, Pakistan's provincial home minister Sanaullah Zehri said.

"They were arrested from Rabat area in Afghanistan," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He did not identify the sons, but said that seven other Al Qaeda men were killed in the operation.

Arrian · March 7, 2003, 11:34

Quote:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Two sons of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) were arrested in southeastern Afghanistan (news - web sites) in a joint operation involving Pakistani and U.S. forces, Pakistan's provincial home minister Sanaullah Zehri said.

"They were arrested from Rabat area in Afghanistan," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He did not identify the sons, but said that seven other al-Qaida men were killed in the operation.

Arrested were Saad and Hamza bin Laden, two of what are believed to be 14 to 18 sons of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaida terrorist organization. Saad is believed closely tied to the operations of al-Qaida.

In Washington, U.S. counterterrorism officials strongly disputed reports saying bin Laden's sons were captured. They said they had no information that would suggest any of the sons had been detained.

Zehri refused to say which military units were involved.

"They were allied forces," he said, operating near Rabat in the extreme southwestern tip of Afghanistan where it borders Pakistan and Iran.

Some sources claim Bin Laden has at least 23 children by several wives. Saad is one the oldest, in his early 20s and has emerged as an al-Qaida leader and one of America's top two dozen targets in the network. Mohammed and Ahmed bin Laden also support their father's efforts, U.S. officials say.

-Arrian

FrustratedPoet · March 7, 2003, 11:36

Quote:

In Washington, U.S. counterterrorism officials strongly disputed reports saying bin Laden's sons were captured. They said they had no information that would suggest any of the sons had been detained.

If it was true, why would the US deny it? (it was reported to be a joint Pakistani/American operation)

I would have expected them to be very happy about this.

Arrian · March 7, 2003, 11:53

FP,

Maybe they wanted to keep it quiet for a little bit, hoping not to alert other Al Quaida people in the area just how good our info is (that we knew where these guys were) so we can grab them too. Though now that it's out, I dunno why not admit it.

-Arrian

BeBro · March 7, 2003, 12:02

Still a lot confusion going on now, CNN Europe reported this as well, but now I read in their bizbar "US officials cannot confirm the capture"

Let´s see how it turns out.

Arrian · March 7, 2003, 17:04

Looks like it was a false alarm:

Quote:

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - US and Pakistani officials denied an announcement by a provincial home minister that two sons of al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden were arrested in a joint US-Afghan-Pakistani operation in southeastern Afghanistan.

"There is absolutely no truth in this report. There has been no arrest of this nature," Pakistan's Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat told AFP, dismissing claims by Baluchistan province's home minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri.

A US official who spoke on condition of anonymity from Washington also denied the reports of the capture.

"It's not true," the US official said Friday. "We have absolutely no information to substantiate that."

Zehri earlier had told reporters in the Baluch capital Quetta that he had been informed by intelligence agencies of reports that two bin Laden offspring had been arrested in the operation in the southeast Afghan town of Ribat, where Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani borders meet.

"I am in constant touch with the security forces. I was informed by intelligence agencies that the reports coming across the border (from Afghanistan) are that two of Osama's sons were caught and they were injured," Zehri said.

There was no independent confirmation of the reports the minister said he had received.

The hunt for bin Laden intensified along Pakistan's northwest border Friday, with a senior Pakistani security official warning the al-Qaeda leader could not hide for much longer if information from top terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, nabbed in a pre-dawn raid Saturday, was correct.

Since Sheikh Mohammed's capture by US and Pakistani forces in the northern city of Rawalpindi, US planes have been seen airdropping leaflets over Baluchistan-Afghan border areas offering money for information leading to the capture of bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. Both men have a 25 million dollar bounty on their head, as did Sheikh Mohammed.

-Arrian

lord of the mark · March 7, 2003, 17:07

abc now reports that coalition forces are pursuing (attacking?)a large convoy in the afghan - pakistan border area. Fox seems to confirm this. Nothing on who is in the convoy.

Ned · March 7, 2003, 17:33

Aha! The op is ongoing. Hopefully, bin Laden himself is in that convoy.

Comrade Tribune · March 7, 2003, 17:38

Quote:

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Arrested for what?

Being family of wrongthinker.

Arrian · March 7, 2003, 17:41

Oh, for a middle finger smiley.

Anyway, apparently some of the sons are involved in Al Quaida in some way. That would be the justification for the arrest. Not that it matters to you, since you're rooting for them.

-Arrian

lord of the mark · March 7, 2003, 17:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
Oh, for a middle finger smiley.

Anyway, apparently some of the sons are involved in Al Quaida in some way. That would be the justification for the arrest. Not that it matters to you, since you're rooting for them.

-Arrian

saad, the eldest son, is apparently taking a growing operational role.

Of course the poster upi are responding considers OBL himself to be just a "wrong thinker"

GePap · March 7, 2003, 18:53

Hopefully something will come of the ongoing chase. Now if they could find the number #2 guy, the one with the brains of the outfit. (I forget his name, the Egyptian they tried after Saddat was killed).

MichaeltheGreat · March 7, 2003, 18:58

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap
Hopefully something will come of the ongoing chase. Now if they could find the number #2 guy, the one with the brains of the outfit. (I forget his name, the Egyptian they tried after Saddat was killed).

Ayman al-Zawahiri

Kramerman · March 7, 2003, 19:02

I just hope we nab someone important to Al Qaeda, as it would serve another material and pyshcological blow

raghar · March 7, 2003, 20:01

Hilter relatives were marked for extermination in last century. Now we have some Muslims as well

I think kidnaping relatives is more interesting to Mafia...
psychological blow

Well you blowed me with pyshcological blow

I need recover.

Ted Striker · March 7, 2003, 20:05

Quote:

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat

Ayman al-Zawahiri

Just seeing that name makes me all

Ted Striker · March 7, 2003, 20:07

US has NOT confirmed this report yet.

However I wouldn't be suprised if the net is getting tighter and tighter.

The reported capture site is in the exact region that I said (October 2001) Bin Laden was going to flee to, by the way.

*Pats self on the back. *

Kramerman · March 7, 2003, 20:10

Quote:

Originally posted by raghar
Hilter relatives were marked for extermination in last century. Now we have some Muslims as well

I think kidnaping relatives is more interesting to Mafia...
psychological blow

Well you blowed me with pyshcological blow

I need recover.

I hope this isnt serious... kidnapping?

They are F**king terrorists!

Shi Huangdi · March 7, 2003, 20:14

According the news the rumors are false

Ted Striker · March 7, 2003, 20:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Kramerman

I hope this isnt serious... kidnapping?

They are F**king terrorists!

No doubt, we're not talking Uncle Bob down the corner, these are some bastards along the lines of Uday Hussein.

MrBaggins · March 7, 2003, 20:18

There was some kind of a shootout... that much has been confirmed. Whether anyone was captured has not been officially confirmed OR denied.

Something happened... we just don't have information as to what DID happen.

notyoueither · March 7, 2003, 21:52

Quote:

Originally posted by raghar
Hilter relatives were marked for extermination in last century. Now we have some Muslims as well

According to whom? By whom?

Ted Striker · March 7, 2003, 21:57

US and Pakistani forces are tracking a very large caravan moving along the Paki-Afghan border.

MrBaggins report of the shootout has been confirmed.