home

French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 09:21:09 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Update: Chirac says the rumor is not confirmed. Time Magazine cites Saudi reports here. CNN provides update here. [hat tip Raw Story.]

*******
Via TL reader Scribe:

A French newspaper is reporting bin Laden died of typhus. The French report is said to be based on information from French intelligence services. This seems a bit tricky, and you'll see why, below. This story bears watching. Here's my translation of the text off the MDR/ARD website:

Media Report: Bin Laden has died from typhus

A French newspaper has made public new rumors about the terror chief Osama Bin Laden. According to information from intelligence agency sources, the al Qaida head has died from typhus. The newspaper "L'Est Republicain" refers to documents from the French foreign secret services, in which they have analyzed/evaluated information out of Saudi Arabia. The French government wants to make clear it is not confirming the report. The [French] Defense Ministry announced instead an investigation into how the newspaper got its hands on the report.

last updated: 23 Sept. 2006, 1:36 PM their time (7:36 AM ET)
Source: MDR Info

Here's the German:

Medienbericht: Bin Laden an Typhus gestorben

Eine französische Zeitung hat neue Gerüchte über Terrorchef Osama bin Laden veröffentlicht. Nach Geheimdienstinformationen sei der Al-Kaida-Anführer an Typhus gestorben. Die Zeitung "L'Est Républicain" beruft sich dabei auf Dokumente des französischen Auslandsgeheimdiensts, in denen die Erkenntnisse aus Saudi-Arabien ausgewertet würden. Die französische Regierung wollte die Berichte nicht bestätigen. Das Verteidigungsministerium kündigte aber eine Untersuchung an, um zu klären, wie die Zeitung an den Bericht gelangte.

zuletzt aktualisiert: 23. September 2006 | 13:36
Quelle: MDR INFO

< Libby to Testify at His Criminal Trial | The Problem of Politics and Race >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus | 23 comments (23 topical)
    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 10:12:56 AM EST
    Obviously, they didn't get the memo. Word of bin Laden's death is not supposed to be made public until just before our election.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#2)
    by desertswine on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 10:26:15 AM EST
    What the... UBL can't be dead, Chimpy needs him for the elections.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#3)
    by Gabriel Malor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 12:20:28 PM EST
    Saying it doesn't make it so, desertswine. That said, the death of OBL can only be a good thing for the Republicans because it makes all the "What are you doing about OBL" kvetching moot.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#4)
    by Steven Sanderson on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 12:20:28 PM EST
    Could this be part of a Pentagon dis-information campaign? DOD admitted a couple of years ago that planting false stories in the foreign press, but not the domestic press (ha!), was part of their psy-ops plan.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#6)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 01:38:19 PM EST
    No it's perfect timing.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#5)
    by bernarda on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 01:53:39 PM EST
    I thought that deserter-in-chief Bush said that he didn't care about Osama anymore?

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#7)
    by Al on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 01:53:39 PM EST
    the death of OBL can only be a good thing for the Republicans because it makes all the "What are you doing about OBL" kvetching moot.
    There are other Al-Qaeda leaders. Where is Mullah Omar? Al-Zawahiri?

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#8)
    by Raven on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 03:19:23 PM EST
      Could the suppressed news of Osama's ¿death? have been the reason Bush was in such a hurry to get the torture bill passed now -- knowing that once the news got out, there'd be less war-on-terror panic to support giving Bush everything he wants? And if it was going to be Rove's October Surprise... what an utterly unprincipled exploitation of national security matters for partisan political advantage! But not the least bit surprising, is it?  

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 04:45:55 PM EST
    My brethern. I truly hope and pray that this evil man is dead. Could I have an amen? Come on now. Just one amen? Anyone??

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#10)
    by glanton on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 04:48:59 PM EST
    Amen

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#11)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 05:02:18 PM EST
    "I'm not dead yet!" "You will be soon." "I think I'll go for a walk!" "You're not fooling anyone." From Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#12)
    by roy on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 05:29:15 PM EST
    Can we give George Tenet's Presidential Medal of Freedom to Typhus?

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#13)
    by glanton on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 06:18:27 PM EST
    And to roy's comment let's have another: Amen.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 07:03:34 PM EST
    I'll believe it when we have the DNA from his corpse to prove it. Til then, it's all so much wishful thinking (or, more likely, Rovian psy-ops). Plus, what a great dodge for The Bush League: "Um, yeah, about OBL - he's dead!" Nothing to see here, move along, move along. He's dead, dontcha know. Stop asking questions now.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#14)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 08:41:23 PM EST
    Too soon and too skinny sourcing to celebrate. But I think I'll have a hit of cheap port, just in case. By the way, I expect the liberals and dems will have the same general tone we see here. That's not going to go over with the voters, guys. Try to fake a bit of good cheer.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#16)
    by roy on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 07:53:39 AM EST
    A prediction, assuming OBL is really dead... If it's confirmed before the '06 elections, Dems will say the confirmation was rushed through to take the "Republican leadership still hasn't gotten Bin Laden" issue off the table. If it's confirmed after the elections, they'll say the confirmation was delayed to spare Republicans the embarassment of Bin Laden being killed by a disease rather than captured or killed by US troops.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#18)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 10:30:45 AM EST
    Why celebrate? Bush said he was unimportant.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#17)
    by krazycory on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 11:08:10 AM EST
    i read that he died a few years ago from kidney failure

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 04:59:23 PM EST
    Posted by Lavocat September 23, 2006 08:03 PM I'll believe it when we have the DNA from his corpse to prove it. Til then, it's all so much wishful thinking (or, more likely, Rovian psy-ops).
    Did you believe it when we had OJs DNA?

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#20)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 04:59:23 PM EST
    Roy...and my prediction is that the Republicans will continue to milk every bit of fear and paranoia and racism they can to keep their war profiteering benefactors raking in blood money...no matter what.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#21)
    by Al on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 04:59:23 PM EST
    I see the right-wing scoundrels are trying to pretend they have a monopoly on contempt for OBL. Nice try, but it won't wash. What is more, you lot wasted every possible opportunity to find him, choosing to concentrate all resources on an insane campaign in Iraq. We all know how well that went, and how much safer the world is because of it. Al Qaeda continues to be a threat, and all you lot can come up with is frightening airline passengers with tales of explosive toiletries.

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 10:40:24 PM EST
    Duh, Why can't he be back home in his wing at the Saudi palace. That is just as plausible as this fake intelignce leak. Or how about if Bush & Co. killed him but don't want him to be a martyr? So he is on ice and to be revealed the week before the midterms! But of course he died of natural causes.So it is not our fault. Could some of the bombs we dropped on Afghanistan been germ warfare bombs? Does this mean we are winning the war on terror?

    Re: French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus (none / 0) (#23)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Sep 25, 2006 at 04:57:44 AM EST
    Al - Can you give me an Amen? No? Not surprising. leftout - Actually the e-coli scare is caused by Rove... Cleverly designed the new strain identifies and attacks only Lefties.. That darn Rove again.. Lav - Well, did you?

    French Report: Osama bin Laden Died of Typhus | 23 comments (23 topical)