Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 07, 2002
Bin Laden Possibly Dead, Says French Defense Minister
Bin Laden Possibly Dead, Says French Defense Minister
Osama bin Laden was quite possibly dead, said French Defense Minister Alain Richard on Thursday on French radio Europe 1.
Osama bin Laden was quite possibly dead, said French Defense Minister Alain Richard on Thursday on French radio Europe 1.
"We do not have his traces for a long time," said Richard. " There are serious chances that he is dead."
But the senior official did not rule out the possibility that bin Laden was "still hiding in Afghanistan, or has escaped via Pakistan."
As for Mulla Mohammad Omar, the Taliban's supreme leader, Richard said he was in the south of Afghanistan and protected by tribal groups.
"He is very mobile," he said.
On recent military operations against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remnants in Afghanistan, Richard said, "The fight continues.... There does exist a threat of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda groups that could weaken the construction of Afghanistan."
"Some 1,500 to 2,000 Taliban fighters remain about 200 kilometers south of Kabul," said Richard.
France is the only country that has deployed its air force when joining the U.S.-led military operations starting last Saturday, he said.
"The number of countries that is up to the level of taking part in all fields of military tasks during such an action is very limited. There are four or five at the maximum and France is one of them," said the minister.
France has 16 super fighters deployed on board aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, which is currently in the Indian Ocean supporting military operations against the Al-Qaeda.
It also has six Mirage 2000 fighter planes at the military base of Manas in Kirghizstan.
The French Defense Ministry confirmed earlier this week that these fighters were joining attacks on Al-Qaeda targets in the mountainous in eastern Afghanistan.
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