http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/4/16/222757
Tuesday, April 16, 2002 11:26 p.m. EDT
Oliver North: Bin Laden Believed Dead
Experts inside the U.S. intelligence community, including some on the
ground in Afghanistan, now believe terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is
dead, contended military analyst Oliver North late Tuesday, based on the bin
Laden videotape released by al-Jazeera news service on Monday.
"I talked to a number of people after I saw this thing today, some of
whom are in-country," North told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."
"They are convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," the former Marine
lieutenant colonel insisted.
North catalogued the evidence pointing to bin Laden's demise.
a.. The terror kingpin has not been heard from since December. Prior
to the 9-11 attacks, the al-Qaeda chief was on al-Jazeera almost weekly,
North said.
b.. Al-Jazeera is unwilling to say when the latest bin Laden tape
was shot. "The people I talked to are convinced it's old tape," North said.
c.. With each successive video, bin Laden's health appears to
deteriorate. In the most recent release, he looks "almost comatose,"
according to the ex-Marine.
d.. The tape shows lush vegetation behind bin Laden, which would be
completely out of season if the tape was shot within the last six months.
"There's nowhere in Afghanistan, right now, today, you can find that kind of
vegetation, because it's barely springtime," the former military man argued.
"That's not a recent tape," North concluded. "That's old tape. And
it's an effort to keep this guy's memory alive. He's dead."
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