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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: D. Long who wrote (5451)	9/30/2001 4:46:05 PM
From: D. Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

Anyone up for a vacation in the mountains? Bring your small arms! Last one in doesn't get to share in the booty! timesofindia.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Mercenaries chasing Osama for #20m ONDON: British mercenaries have been trying to trace Osama bin Laden so that they can claim the multi-million-dollar bounty America has put his head. A former SAS soldier said last week that he knew of four attempts by former British servicemen to try to pinpoint bin Laden in his Afghanistan base. A second special forces veteran confirmed that private operations have been mounted by bounty hunters from Britain and America. There is plenty of incentive. A $5m bounty was put on bin Laden after the bombing of two US embassies in Africa in August 1998 when more than 200 people were killed. The reward "for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction" of the terrorist mastermind has been increased to $30m since Robert Mueller became head of the FBI. President Bush has made it clear that he wants bin Laden "dead or alive". The FBI has already received detailed information on bin Laden's whereabouts "on a number of occasions" from military "privateers", according to a security source. The source said a bounty hunter would not need to capture or kill the terrorist to claim the reward. Intelligence on his future movements or position would qualify if it led to an official operation that brought him to justice. A lucky intercept by a freelance computer hacker or radio ham could qualify for the reward. In July 1997 Arabic newspapers, citing "sources close to bin Laden", reported that a huge mercenary force with helicopters and C-130 Hercules transport planes had arrived in Pakistan on a mission to abduct or assassinate Bin Laden. One witness reported seeing 11 black Toyota 4x4s crossing the border into Afghanistan. Even before bin Laden's rise to infamy, bounty hunters were regular visitors to Afghanistan. In the early 1980s Sir William Lindsay-Hogg, who was related by marriage to Lord Snowdon, led a quasi-official team of mercenaries and British special forces as part of a successful effort to arm and train Afghan fighters who were resisting the Russian invasion. David Tomkins, who took part in the mission, said the men were paid thousands of pounds to steal examples of the Russian AK74, an assault rifle, from Soviet troops. Ironically Bin Laden, then a military leader in the region, benefited from this raid as he, too, was fighting the Russians. When the Russians pulled out, yet more bounty hunters moved in. They were tempted by a $10m reward offered by the administration of George Bush Sr in 1992 for the return of Stinger shoulder-fired missiles that had been supplied by the West to the Afghans during the Russian war. This was largely unsuccessful and the Stingers remain the most potent weapon in the hands of bin Laden and the Taliban. Anybody considering taking up the FBI's #20m offer should be aware that Bin Laden has responded in kind. In 1998, after the Americans issued their bounty notice, he issued a counter-offer: $10,000 to his followers for every American killed. ( THE SUNDAY TIMES )