ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: The spokesman for the US-led coalition on Monday indicated that Osama bin Laden might have been killed in the intense bombing of Tora Bora.
“Yes it is quite possible that he might have been killed,” Ambassador Kenton Keith told a regular briefing, adding the coalition planes had carried out extensive bombing in the area where Osama had been last sighted.
The spokesman was asked to comment on the statement by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, made during his visit to China, that Osama might have been killed.
“We have no specific information on that,” he said, but added that it would not be surprising if Osama had been killed in the bombing.
The spokesman ruled out the possibility of some Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters having fled to Kashmir.
Asked whether the coalition was satisfied with the steps taken by Pakistan, he said, “coalition is extremely satisfied with what Pakistan has done.”.
In reply to a question whether the coalition had monitored any shifting of Pakistani troops from Afghan borders to Indian border, he said they had observed no lessening in the commitment of Pakistan government to sealing off the Afghan border.
He declined to comment on the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan.
Answering a question whether the hunt for Osama and Mulla Omar were still on, he said the search was still going on.
Tora Bora, he pointed out, was honeycombed with caves and the coalition forces were still searching these caves.
On reports about the arrest of Taliban intelligence services chief Abdul Haq, he said
they were interested in his arrest but did not confirm the arrest.
About the attack of coalition planes on a convoy of Afghan elders in which 65 people had been killed, he said they were investigating the incident.
