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Osama can run but can he hide?: Deccan Herald
If Osama bin Laden leaves Afghanistan the number of places he can go is limited - but it is premature to say the Saudi-born militant has nowhere left to hide.
If Osama bin Laden leaves Afghanistan the number of places he can go is limited — but it is premature to say the Saudi-born militant has nowhere left to hide.
His al-Qaeda (The Base) network operates cells around the globe, while his henchmen in Afghanistan are powerful Islamist leaders in their own right, with connections throughout Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. The Taliban militia, which has sheltered bin Laden as a "guest" in Afghanistan since 1996, has already investigated alternative hideouts in the event it is forced to withdraw its support. "If he leaves at all, he will go to Chechnya. He has already established a network there," said a Pakistani source who has met bin Laden.
His al-Qaeda (The Base) network operates cells around the globe, while his henchmen in Afghanistan are powerful Islamist leaders in their own right, with connections throughout Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. The Taliban militia, which has sheltered bin Laden as a "guest" in Afghanistan since 1996, has already investigated alternative hideouts in the event it is forced to withdraw its support. "If he leaves at all, he will go to Chechnya. He has already established a network there," said a Pakistani source who has met bin Laden.