Link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GE14Df04.html<Both Pakistani and US intelligence believe that they are hot on the
heels of Osama bin Laden, after his trail went cold months ago.
"Both the US and concerned Pakistani authorities are positive that
in the coming days we shall be around Osama bin Laden," a senior
Pakistani official told Asia Times Online in an exclusive interview,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
The potential breakthrough in the hunt for bin Laden follows the
arrest of al-Qaeda operative Abu Faraj al-Libbi in Pakistan last
week, and an important lead he divulged during interrogation. Abu
Faraj was interrogated by various agencies, including Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence, Britain's MI6 and the US Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
This is according to the Pakistani official, who was assigned by
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf - the target of two
assassination attempts allegedly masterminded by Abu Faraj - to
coordinate and oversee investigations involving recent al-Qaeda
detainees in Pakistan.
"The arrest of al-Libbi has only one significance for Pakistan, and
that is that he was involved in assassination plots on Musharraf.
Apparently there is no way that we will get Osama bin Laden through
al-Libbi. MI6 also interrogated al-Libbi separately, and they are
also of this opinion, that al-Libbi is little more than a foot
soldier and no way eligible to be named as an operational chief.
However, US interrogators have a different opinion and they call al-
Libbi the catch of the year," the official said.>