Osama bin Ladin died a peaceful, natural death in mid-December in the vicinity of Tora Bora mountains, a Taliban leader who attended funeral of the Saudi dissident confided to the Pakistan Observer. "The Coalition troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of getting Osama alive or dead", the source added.
According to the source, the late Osama bin Ladin was suffering from some serious lung complication and succumbed to the disease for lack of proper treatment. The source claimed that Bin Laden was laid to rest in his last abode and his grave was leveled even as per his Wahabi beliefs.
About thirty close associates of Bin Laden in Al-Qaeda including his most trusted and personal bodyguards, his family members and some "Taliban friends" attended the funeral rites. A volley of bullets were also fired to pay final tributes to the "great leader". The source claims to have seen Osama's face before the burial: "he looked pale but calm, relaxed and confident".
When asked where are his last remains buried, the Taliban source said "I am sure that like other places in Tora Bora, that particular place too must have vanished".
(Albawaba.com)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
