Amid reports from Pakistan that suggest Osama bin Laden may have been captured by United States and local forces, a Pakistani official announces two
of bin Laden's sons have been nabbed in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press.
Pakistan's provincial home minister Sanaullah Zehri told the Associated Press the pair were arrested during a joint operation involving U.S. forces
in the Rabat region of Afghanistan.
Zehri said seven other al-Qaida men were killed in the raid.
According to the Associated Press, the arrested are Saad and Hamza bin Laden. They are believed to be two of the 14 to 18 sons of bin Laden. Saad is
said to be closely tied to the operations of al-Qaida.
The Pakistan Tribune, citing unnamed sources, reported yesterday on the arrest of nine al-Qaida suspects in a raid near the Afghan border ñ one of
whom was thought to be bin Laden or his son.
Fox News reports U.S. counter-terrorism officials strongly dispute reports that bin Laden's sons were captured.
Meanwhile, ABC News is reporting major operations under way to hunt for Osama bin Laden with new leads provided by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Mohammed reportedly told investigators that bin Laden had met him in the mountainous regions of frontier areas near Baluchistan. Mohammed was captured
last weekend in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He is in U.S. custody.
ABC News, too, reported the major new search centered around the Baluchistan region. Leaflets are being dropped from airplanes reminding residents of
the $25 million reward for bin Laden, according to the report.
There reportedly have been numerous sightings of bin Laden in the area on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border. Mohammed has extensive family ties
in the region.
"They definitely have him pinned down to a small area" said ABC News terrorism consultant Vince Cannistrano. "This will be a major operation."
U.S. officials told the news agency that bin Laden's location was pinpointed more than a week ago when he used a mobile phone to call his family.
Satellites picked up the call.
The report also said bin Laden's son Saad was recently in Tehran.
Authorities believe information from Mohammed's cell phone confirms other data they have suggesting they are very close to finding the No. 1
most-wanted terrorist in the world.
Some U.S. officials believe it will be difficult to take bin Laden in alive.
"I always had this dream of seeing him in an orange prisoner's jumpsuit that said, 'Metropolitan Correctional Center' (in New York City), but I
think he will want to shoot it out because he has scripted his own demise," Jack Cloonan, a recently retired FBI bin Laden investigator, told ABC
News. "He wants to be a martyr."
Link -
www.wnd.com... 
